


It Doesn't Get Any Better

by cats77



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Closer to a simmer, Drama, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Life on the Road, Musicians, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Slow Burn, Workplace
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 99,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24542728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cats77/pseuds/cats77
Summary: Bella and Alice had the job of their dreams even before they landed the contract to tour with Midnight Sun. They think that the biggest problem they'll face is keeping their relationship professional, but the past is never far behind. AU/AH - Cannon Pairings
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	1. In The Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Although this story is new to AO3, I started it ten years ago.
> 
> With the added free time I, like so many others, have now, I’ve been reading a lot of fanfic. I’ve also seen quite a few authors come back to finish long-abandoned projects, and it’s inspired me to do the same. I’ve been playing around with new story ideas but doesn’t seem right to start something new before finishing this.
> 
> A lot of things change in ten years, and I’ve taken the opportunity to re-edit most of the story. There aren’t any significant changes, it’s more subtle wording or content that I was unhappy with. Since this isn’t a printed book, I have the luxury of doing that. I updated instead of reposting. If older reviews don’t make sense to the current content, that’s why.
> 
> I originally had betas for the first 14 chapters, but any errors that appear in my work are mine. I’m still grateful to them for their generosity with their time and knowledge.
> 
> Lastly, this idea was initially brainstormed and created with the help of Moon108. Although she hasn’t been here for most of the newer material, she helped to bring this story to life by encouraging me. Many thanks to her.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.
> 
> Original betas for this chapter: Brandy D and Ellecc.

**Chapter One**

In The Dark

Bella POV

I cringed and knocked on the door. I knew that this action put my physical well being at risk, and it may possibly be the last thing I ever did. However, I had accepted the risk when I took the job, and this was no time for cowardice.

"Bella, dear, the red light is on. Fuck off," Alice hissed at me from the other side of the door.

"Alice, you know that I take the sanctity of your darkroom very seriously, seeing as it is directly tied with my good health, but Esme is on the phone. She needs to know when you'll have the proofs from the festival."

"Oh, tell her that I'm finishing them now. I'll overnight them to her as soon as I'm done. Thanks, love," Alice cooed sweetly as I shook my head at her mood swings.

"Will do, please continue plotting to take over the world; I do know that's what you're really doing in there, you know." She gave me her best evil laugh, and I went back to my desk for the phone.

"She'll have them done any time now, and we'll get them there overnight for nine am. There shouldn't be any issues with meeting the deadline. Are they ok with the composites for the backgrounds of the posters?"

"Of course they are," Esme said, her voice full of pride. "They always love the work you girls do."

"Great, anything we can do to make your life easier is always a good thing," I said, laughing. "We seem to be gearing down on the workload, though. Is there a break in the release schedule?"

"Not exactly…" Esme trailed off.

Esme never trailed off. "Esme, what's wrong? Or are you just plotting again?"

"Nothing is wrong, Bella."

"And that leaves us with plotting. So, what'cha plotting, Esme?" I sang into the phone as I doodled circles on my desk blotter.

"You're so suspicious of me; what have I ever done to make you so jaded?" She pulled out her hurt and innocent voice, at which point I knew she had something big up her sleeve.

"Esme…"

"I think you guys should come up and meet me for dinner. How is your schedule next week?"

"Well, since you are a master schemer and probably have every level of this planned out down to our hotel booking, you know full well that next week is completely open for us."

"Well, it is polite to ask, Bella."

"Of course it is, Esme," I said with a chuckle. "How long are we staying, what are we doing, and what do we need to bring?"

"You're coming up to meet with me for dinner on Monday. You have an appointment with a new client on Wednesday. After that, we'll see how it goes, but I’m guessing about a week or so. Bring your portfolio and make sure you update it with the festival stuff you just did. You'll also want to prepare a proposal for these new clients."

I jotted down notes as Esme went through her list. "Ok, who’s the new client, and what kind of tour is it? How many weeks?"

"Don't worry about any of that. Just do up a generic proposal. You can tweak it after we talk on Monday."

"But… Esme… I…"

"Close your mouth, Bella. I know you'd plan your bathroom breaks if you could, but you're going to have to wing it a bit on this one."

"I would not plan my bathroom breaks," I said acidly.

She laughed at me. "Fill Alice in, and let me know by the end of the day if it’s is going to be a problem. I'll mail you the details of your hotel."

"The creature is emerging from her cave as we speak. I'll let her know and get back to you with an email in a few minutes."

Alice raised an eyebrow at me as I hung up. "Let me know what?"

I passed along the sketchy details Esme had given me.

"That's excellent! I love New York. I wonder if I can get in some shopping?"

"You're Alice, of course you can get in some shopping. If the entire city closed down and Godzilla attacked, you could still get in some shopping."

"Hmm, true." She pursed her lips and distractedly pondered my monitors. "Bella. move." She grabbed the back of my chair, launched me across the room, then flew to my keyboard.

"You know I am capable of moving myself. If you gave me a second, I would've given you my chair."

"I have to check something… and I'm right! Midnight Sun is playing in New York next week! Esme can hook us up. They are one of her bands, after all. Maybe our curse is finally lifting."

As long as Alice and I had been working for Esme's company, First Sight Management, we had yet to reap the most considerable benefit (as we saw it anyway). We were huge fans of Midnight Sun, their most successful band. Without fail, every time there was a concert in our area, we were somewhere else working on another tour. Alice and I had given up hope of ever seeing them live, and bitterly accepted our cursed fate. We had never overtly expressed our disappointment to Esme, but I think she knew anyway.

"Wait a minute, she wouldn't tell you the name of these new clients she was pimping us out to?" Alice frowned at me.

"No, but it can't be them, Alice. They must have their own people for this kind of stuff."

"It seems pretty coincidental to me. I think… no, I definitely have a feeling about this. A very good feeling!"

"Good feelings are good, we like good feelings. But maybe Esme is just going to give us a raise or something. If you don't get those proofs to her, however, she might not go through with whatever she's planning."

I knew enough not to question Alice's hunches; she was practically psychic. But there was good news, and then there was _good news_. Working with Midnight Sun would be _beyond_ good news.

Alice called the courier for a pickup as I scanned her negatives into the computer. My mind wandered while I worked, and I found that her enthusiasm was becoming infectious. "Can you imagine? Not that I haven't loved everything we've done so far, but getting to work at one of their shows would be insane."

"I'd have to avoid jumping Jasper; that would be a definite downside," she said as she frowned thoughtfully.

Alice was in love with Midnight Sun's lead singer, Jasper Whitlock. He was tall, blonde, gorgeous, and had what Alice like to refer to as "an ass chiseled by God himself." Ok, it wasn't so much love as it was lust.

I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my chair. "Leave it to you to take a situation like this and boil it down to that within two minutes."

"Right, because you wouldn't be entertaining any Edward fantasies as we worked." I directed my attention back to my desk, furiously searching for something I could do. My uncluttered desk failed me completely.

"There is nothing wrong with admiring a perfect specimen of the male form," I said, deciding to adopt a defensive stance.

So maybe Alice wasn't the only one in lust. But Edward Masen was eye candy of the gourmet variety. He radiated the perfect balance of bad boy and gentleman. Plus, he played piano for God's sake. Just playing the piano was enough for me. The fact that his fingers were so long and dexterous was strictly a bonus to my many fantasies…

"Bella, you're looking all hot and bothered… are you entertaining some fantasy right now, perhaps?" Alice shot me a knowing glance.

I coughed loudly. "So, about updating the portfolio… I was thinking of pulling these shows and adding these new ones to the video clips," I said, pulling up the files on my computer. "Plus, I really liked the layout we did for this tour book. I thought we should include pages 7 and 18. Possibly 19 as well. What do you think?"

Alice was, in every way but blood, my sister. We had started this small business after finishing University a few years ago. I fell into a couple of jobs with content generation for musicians and bands and became aware of the need for such things. We now traveled the country attending concerts and shows of all genres, collecting photographs, video, and doing anything else that would facilitate a connection between musicians and their fans. At 26, we had fallen into our dream job, and it was amazing.

We worked on our portfolio, deciding what our best work had been at the last festival. Within an hour, the changes had been decided and work split between us. The standard proposal we used to present our work to new clients was a bit trickier. In the past, we considered our audience and tailored our presentation accordingly. Rock fans were not the same as R&B fans, and although the same information was generally in there, the presentation was completely different.

"As I see it, we have three options," said Alice as we floundered back and forth on a plan for the third hour. "We can sit here and fret about it until we have to leave on Sunday, we can do up a generic presentation." We shuddered in tandem at that thought. "Or… we can just pretend we actually are presenting it to Midnight Sun and want to knock their socks off."

"But what if we do that, and she has something totally different in mind?" I said with worry in my voice.

"Well, think about it. If we really were presenting it to them, wouldn't it be the best one we ever did? I know it's farfetched that we'll actually get to do that, but I'm telling you I have a feeling this is going to be good and it's going to be big. We are going to want this to be our best work. I think this is the way to get there."

I thought about it, and really there was nothing to lose. It's not like Esme, or anyone else for that matter would know what we had in mind while we were putting it together. "You're right, let's do it that way."

We worked solidly until Friday night, tweaking and perfecting our parts. When we were done, I had to agree with Alice. Our portfolio had never looked better, and the presentation was visually stunning.

Saturday was earmarked for us to pack. Well, I spent an hour in the morning packing, then sat in Alice's room and watched as she debated every piece of clothing and pair of shoes she might need for any given situation.

Despite the anticipation, Sunday morning came in record time, and we found ourselves loaded up and in the car, getting comfortable for the drive to the Big Apple. We were settling into our road trip playlist when Alice told me that she had every minute of Monday planned, up to dinner with Esme. I was laughing until she handed me her printed schedule, complete with route information from store to store.  
  
"You know, I think Esme only reserved one table at the restaurant. Where are all your bags going to sit?" I teased.

"Oh, don't worry, I left time for us to go back to the hotel and freshen up," she said brightly. I flipped to the sixth page and saw that indeed she had.

"Of course you did, and Esme thinks I'm the one who's hung up on scheduling." I rolled my eyes at the passenger window.

"I only worry about scheduling the important stuff," Alice said sagely.

A couple of hours later, we were listening to one of our many ‘road trip’ playlists. We had switched off driving and were currently singing along to the music at the top of our lungs. Music was one of the biggest keys to a successful road trip. Although I also loved driving up the coast in the spring. The trees were just starting to come back to life, and the green sea of new foliage was breathtaking. I turned the radio down and looked at Alice.

"Ok, you're going think this is entirely moronic, but I'm getting nervous."

She smiled at me.

"No, seriously, what if Midnight Sun is what Esme has planned, I mean…" I trailed off and shook my head.

"Esme has never pushed us too hard, Bella. If she is actually thinking of sending us out with them, then it's because she thinks we're ready for it. Besides, like you said, we don't even know what she's actually up to yet. Save your panic for tomorrow night."

"I'll get right on that," I muttered, readjusting the music.  
  
On Monday, the promised shopping trip was everything I expected. I never understood how Alice could shop for hours and hours on end. It was as if she got more charged from each store. Either that, or she was sucking the energy straight from me because I was exhausted.

"Please, Alice. Let me sit down for five minutes," I begged. "Just five minutes so I can check to see that I still have feet."

She sighed a long-suffering sigh. "Oh, Bella, you're so dramatic. We've only been shopping since nine, and I did let you stop for lunch."

"It's four o'clock, Alice!"

"Your point?"

"Quite obviously, I don't have one."

"Ok, I have a surprise for you if you're going to get all whiny on me…" I looked up, hopefully, as she continued. "I'm heading into this store here, and I'm going to be a while. I figured by this time you'd be getting a little emo, on me so I thought maybe you might want to go to MoMA—it's just a block over."

I squealed and hugged her in delight; she knew how much I loved the Museum of Modern Art. The last time we were in NYC, I didn't have time to go. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

" _But_ ," she said, and I froze as she continued. "I get to buy you an outfit for Wednesday's meeting."

I considered this; I would actually be pretty safe for this one. Alice and I were on the same page when it came to how we like to present ourselves at a first-time meeting, regardless of who the client was. At worst, I might end up in a skirt or a dress. "That sounds almost too easy," I said, wondering if there was a second part to this condition.

"You make it sound like I'm an unreasonable monster," she said as she huffed at me. "Go, before I change my mind. I'll meet you in the coffee shop there in an hour. We can take a break, then head back to the hotel and get ready to meet Esme at seven."

"See you there!" I called as I headed off, and she breezed into the store.

  
-==\\\//==-  
  
  


_Alice POV_

"Esme!" We both squealed as the petite woman came into view. She ran over to us and swept us up in tight hugs. Although we were in contact with Esme almost daily for work, it had been nearly a year since we'd seen her in person. Between our schedule touring and her long hours in the office, these kinds of meetings were rare.

In the three years that we had been working for First Sight Management, Esme had become like a mother to us. She was kind and caring by nature, and that took over as she watched out for us on the road. She always planned ahead for anything we might need and gave us a heads up when we were going to take on a particularly difficult manager or band member.

Bella had known her longer than I had. Esme approached Bella about a new kind of position she wanted to fill for her bands, and Bella had brought me on board, thinking that pairing our skill sets would work even better for what Esme had in mind.

"How have you ladies been? Was the festival ok? Did you have to deal with Charles much? He's a misogynistic prick, but we don't get to choose the staff when we're not running the festival."

I laughed. Esme always seemed to be out of breath and in a whirl, even when she was standing perfectly still. "The festival was fantastic. We took your warning and gave the festival director a wide berth. We didn't even have to talk to him. He just sat in production all day like that office chair was a throne. As long as we minimized our time in there, we had no problems."

She laughed. "Yeah, that's Charles. Sounds like he hasn't changed much."

"What about you, Esme? New bands? Projects? What's going on in the office?" Bella asked.

Esme updated us on the lives of her co-workers as the waiter took our drink orders and gave us menus. "We had to let Royce go. Well, not 'let go' so much as have him arrested. He was pulling some scheme with the bank accounts. Rosalie caught him at it. The accountants that are on it now think that it was found in time, and no one is out too much money, but it's a major headache. Luckily, he isn't the brightest bulb in the box," she said absently, rubbing her forehead.  
  
"I never liked him," I said. "I don't know why—he just gave me the creeps."  
  
"It was lucky that he didn't have a chance to do anything with his records at home before he was arrested. That was where they found the real evidence. As you can imagine, he wasn't exactly happy, I learned some new insults, and I deal with roadies daily!"

We all laughed, and the waiter came back with drinks and salads. Esme was starting on her salad as Bella finally lost patience.

"So, um Esme…" she started hesitantly.

"I'm impressed Bella, you lasted almost fifteen minutes!" she said, checking her watch. "You win, Alice."

"No fair with the timing and the betting!" Bella huffed at us as we laughed.

"Ok, ok. Let's get it over with. As you know, I've been impressed with your work. Not only do you outdo yourselves every time, but you also seem to be able to work with almost anyone, which is just as important. The very few complaints I've had were pretty transparent, and from managers I don't like anyway," she trilled.

I was a little surprised that she got complaints, but then I remembered the stunt I pulled on the tour manager a couple of tours back. "Colin was never actually able to prove that was me. Besides, he was a total dick. I was… I mean, whoever did it was totally justified, in my opinion!"

Esme chuckled into her wine as she took a drink. "Don't worry. I got the whole story from some other people, I know that the party in question was perfectly entitled."

This was just one of the many things I loved about Esme: she was fair. She knew the kind of crap we had to put up with from the crews and managers. We were young, female, and attractive. These three things didn't usually lend themselves to people instantly respecting us or taking us seriously. A lot of the people we ended up working with on the road were professionals who were good at their jobs, but every once in awhile, we had the joy of dealing with a real piece of work.

She also knew that if you didn't push back and just took the crap, you didn't get any respect, and that made getting anything done next to impossible. It was a fine line, but we had learned to walk it pretty deftly.

"Anyway, like I was saying, you two have really shown yourselves to be trustworthy and dependable. I don't have to worry about chasing loose ends down when I put you on a job, and I'm going to need that and probably more on this next project."

Bella and I were excited. I'm sure Esme noticed since we'd stopped breathing and all. The corner of her mouth twitched as she fought back a smile.

"Ok, so here's the rundown. It's a six-month tour that is starting in two weeks in Chicago. You'll be all over the country, West Coast to the central area, then back to the East Coast, working your way back to end in New York City. It's going to be a huge workload. I'll need content for the website, merch, publicity, and possibly some extras we'll need for digital distribution. There will be two buses, including one for the band, the manager, and a few of the techs. You'll be on the second bus with some of the crew and some extra people, who will be rotating on and off as they finish their prospective jobs with the tour. Basically, you'll be living out of the bus and hotel rooms for six months. I don't think I need to tell you guys anymore that it won't be glamorous. It will, however, be rewarding, and it will look amazing in your portfolio."

"Esme! _Who_?!" I said, a little too loudly. Some of the diners around us turned my way.

"Well, I've been working you guys up to this. You're wasted on my new bands now; they don't need all of the things you can do. So I want to put you on with our most popular band, Midnight Sun. I assume you know their stuff."

"Oh, yeah, we're familiar with it. We've followed their stuff for a while now. We're kinda fans." Bella smiled calmly as she took a bite of her pasta.

Kinda fans, I smirked internally. Still, I was impressed, she was rocking the calm façade.

"So, they've got a show tomorrow, I thought you might like to go and check out the set. Then between tomorrow morning and Wednesday afternoon, you can fine-tune your presentation for them."

Bella choked on her water.

"That is, of course, if you're interested. You might want to talk about it tonight and let me know tomorrow morning. I know it's all very last minute, but I was still putting it all together last week. I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure," Esme said worriedly.

I took the lead while thumping Bella on the back as she tried to remaster the basics of breathing. "No, no, Esme, it's fine. Of course, we want to do it, no discussion necessary. You know Bella, she's just a little nervous about putting this all together on the fly."

Esme turned to Bella with a motherly look again. "You'll do fine, you always do!"

Bella nodded and gulped down more water.

"So then, we're a go on everything?" Esme questioned, looking between us.

"Definitely," we said together.

She laughed. "Ok then, for the show, doors are at eight. I couldn't get you great seats, it was too last minute. You're stuck with all the label folks in one of the balconies. You should still be able to get a good idea of their set and the feel of the crowd, though. I know you like to do your research. I'm not going have you meet the band tomorrow night. You know how it is with New York; everyone is sniffing around them, and their schedule is tight. Plus, I'd rather have you all meet on Wednesday when there are no distractions," she said, back into full work mode as she entered some details into her phone.

"Sounds good. We'll be ready, Esme. Thank you, really, you've been so good to us," Bella said, having recovered from her minor choking incident.

"You're going to be fantastic ladies, I just know it. They're going to absolutely love you!"

Bella and I managed to finish out the meal calmly, picking Esme's brain about anything specific we should include or exclude from our presentation. My head was screaming in excitement, and it was all I could do to stay still in my seat. I vaguely wondered if either one of us was going to sleep between now and Wednesday.

-==\\\//==-


	2. Wednesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.
> 
> Original betas for this chapter: sweetishbubble and blahblahblah.

**Chapter Two**  
Wednesday

Bella POV

"Alice, stop fidgeting."

"You first." Her gaze fell to the pen I was molesting.

The last two days had been a whirlwind. After our dinner with Esme on Monday night, Alice and I returned to the hotel. We spent a few hours coming to terms with the events of the evening. It may need to be noted that 'coming to terms' included a lot of swearing, some hyperventilating, and a stop at a liquor store on the way back to the hotel. The time felt like it was oscillating wildly between crawling so slowly it seemed Wednesday would never come, and speeding by so fast we'd felt there just wasn't enough time to be adequately prepared.

The show last night had been fantastic. Midnight Sun's stage set up was simple. Just the three band members, their instruments, and some outstanding lighting. They seemed to set a mood rather than rely heavily on gimmicks like pyrotechnics. The band connected well with their audience. Even though there were thousands of people at the sold-out show, the energy in the cavernous venue was palpable.

The audience was fairly diverse. Fans were holding up signs saying, ‘Marry me, Jasper,’ but they were outnumbered by the throngs of people that seemed to be there for the music and sang along with every song.

Alice and I were all smiles and quietly exchanging memories of the previous night when the door opened, and Esme led the band into the small boardroom. She shot us a confident and reassuring smile that said, this will be ok, relax. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I looked over at Alice, who returned the same forced calm.

Here we go, we said to each other silently.

We stood for introductions, as unnecessary as they were on their part.

Jasper Whitlock, the lead singer and bassist of Midnight Sun, extended his hand and smiled warmly. "It nice to meet you, Bella, Alice. We've heard a lot about you both, Esme has many kind things to say."

I shot a smile at Esme and shifted automatically into professional mode. As much as we liked this band, this wasn't our first time 'round the block. We'd worked with other artists we'd admired (and ok fine, to be fair lusted after, even if not entirely on the same level), and it was just a matter of remembering they were people, and this was a business meeting. That was always what I had told myself, and I hoped like hell it would keep my hands from shaking with nerves this time too.

Jasper was the tallest of the group. He was in his late twenties, and his movements reminded me of a large cat, agile and calculated. His blond hair was shorn shaggily about his neck in a medium-long, messy style. The sharp, chiseled features of his face gave him an aristocratic look, but his blue eyes were warm and kind.

Edward Masen introduced himself next. Edward was responsible for guitars and keyboards in the Midnight Sun world. I smiled and let myself take in his appearance. At just over six feet, he was more muscular than Jasper, but every bit as graceful. A mop of short bronze hair was messy in a way that couldn't be forced. If it was, it must have taken him hours to get that ‘rolled out of bed’ look. His strong, angular features, which were even more enthralling in person. I found myself wondering if a jawline could actually be sexy, and then berating myself for practically drooling over bone structure. That was when I noticed his eyes for the first time. I might have taken a moment too long to stare into the startlingly green depths, but no picture had ever managed to convey just how beautiful they actually were.

Professional, Bella, Professional, I chanted inwardly as I ripped myself away from those beautiful eyes and continued shaking hands.

Emmett McCarty was fantastically upbeat and overflowing with playful energy. I was convinced that copious amounts of energy were required for drummers. His smile lit up his entire face and made his eyes shine. He might have been several years older than the other two, but the air of lighthearted joy he radiated made him seem younger. His short dark hair lay flat against his scalp, and he was huge. There was just no other word for it, he was a wall of muscle. I was quite sure he would be terrifying if he were angry, but it was hard to imagine this gentle giant as dangerous. I wouldn't have been surprised to see him grab someone and twirl them around in a massive bear hug. I immediately pictured him as a big brother, the kind that would mercilessly poke at his siblings for a laugh, but also protect them fiercely.

The fourth person to join the meeting was Midnight Sun's manager, Carlisle Cullen. If Emmett gave off the air of a big brother, Carlisle was definitely had a fatherly vibe. At about 35, he was handsome, his height was even with Edward's, and he could easily have been the band's fourth member. There was a calm competence to him that wasn’t at all severe or intimidating. This was a man who handled a crisis with skill and kept the band members in line.

As often happened in these types of meetings, it wasn't the fact that the band members were amazingly beautiful that struck me. It was that they looked so very ordinary. Don't get me wrong, they were definitely on the hot side of the gene pool, but they weren't the airbrushed perfection that was usually seen in publicity photos and magazine covers. They were just regular guys that had worked hard to master their craft and were now starting to reap the rewards.

I took comfort in that thought, as I always did. In that way, they weren't so different from us. It was hard to be quite as nervous when you worked out that you weren't in a room with rock stars, but with people who happened to be excellent musicians. I smiled at everyone in the room and remembered our pep talk in the car on the way here. I took another deep breath and started chanting my confidence and professionalism mantra.

"Well, as you all know, of course, I'm Bella Swan, and this is Alice Brandon. Say hi, Alice."

"Hi, Alice."

"Very funny," I deadpanned.

"I thought so," she trilled.

Everyone laughed, and I felt the tension go down a notch. This was good. If they were comfortable with us and our slightly insane friendship, then we wouldn't have to put up any pretense. We always did our best work that way.

"I have no idea how you deal with content and sourcing material for various uses now, but Alice and I more or less specialize in one-stop shopping. We're going to show you the type of things we've done in the past as well as new areas we can cover for your upcoming tour."

Alice took over. "I'll start by running you through some of the things we can handle on a typical day. We start at soundcheck. If you plan to, or already offer passes to your fan club or added value tickets, we can organize and run the soundcheck viewing, getting the fans in to watch the day's rehearsal, and then out again when they need to be. We can also handle Meet and Greets or any autograph session if you want them to be more formal. The only thing we may need is access to additional security for larger numbers. I can do the strong-arm thing, but it usually results in me breaking other people's bones." Everyone chuckled. I was laughing because they thought she was joking.

"Next up," I continued, "is the show. We take photos and videos for all shows. Live shots are great for press, websites, merchandise, and publicity. Video can be used on-line and for b-roll, if you have plans for digital or traditional live show releases." Alice and I slipped into our comfortable rhythm and confidence started to take the place of nerves.

Our proposal continued, and we laid out the rest of the ideas. After accounting for all the additional types of content we could gather daily, we showed them examples of some of the work we'd done in the past. Even though it was on a much smaller scale than what we had outlined for Midnight Sun's tour, it was a good cross-section of our skills and abilities.

Going by what we'd seen at the show the night before, we had actually scaled back a little. We got the strong impression that these guys were about substance rather than flash, and we wanted to be straightforward and genuine. About half an hour later, Alice was wrapping up some last details about the types of photos that worked best for different kinds of shows. The confidence I was feeling earlier had slowly started to fade as l looked into the four men's faces. Their eyes had continued to widen as our presentation progressed, and now they were positively incredulous. I looked over at Esme, who was still beaming proudly.

"Of course, we'll also be on hand to promote the tour locally and foster a relationship with the fans. We feel this will overflow to your on-line presence and help your following there," I said, trying to stifle my rising panic. I caught Alice's eye and knew she was on the same wavelength. She usually was. Maybe we overdid it? But Esme knew this is how we did things, and she told us to account for everything in our presentation to the band.

We waited for someone to say something… for anyone to say anything. Finally, Alice turned to me, slightly panicked, and in true Alice fashion, she blurted out. "Why do I feel like I just claimed to have a subscription to playgirl for the articles with a straight face?" Then she froze.

The entire room burst into laughter except for a slightly mortified Alice.

"Esme, where have you been hiding them?" Carlisle asked as he chuckled. The awe in his voice was unmistakable, which completely confused me.

"I told you it would be perfect, didn't I?" she sang in her best 'I told you so' voice.

Jasper finally got control of his laughter and looked at the other two members, who nodded. "Oh yeah, we're all over this."

An hour later, we were in Esme's office, going over the standard forms and contracts that needed to be signed. Esme had just placed the phone down after working out the details of flights and how we would meet up with the tour.

"Esme, I almost had a heart attack at the end there." Everything was happening so fast I still wasn't sure I was taking it all in properly. "They were all staring as us like we'd spontaneously grown a limb from the tops of our heads."

Alice laughed but nodded fervently in agreement.

"I know the way you ladies work is very typical for you, but you have to understand what a catch you are for a band like them. They're used to having to deal with different photographers, videographers, and label people at every show to do all the things you breezed through in that meeting. Can you imagine what a pain it is to track them all down in every city, then explain what you want and how you want it done? Not to mention the fact that you also have to make sure that person does it the way they're supposed to and account for all assets that are created.

It's not fun, believe me. I used to do it regularly before you two came aboard. Why do you think I always make sure you're content with everything? I know you probably think it's because I'm wonderfully kind, but honestly, I keep you happy for selfish reasons. If you ever left, I'd have to deal with it all again. You can never, ever leave." Esme laughed, but I could tell that she meant every word.

"I never actually thought of it that way, hmm… I guess we are pretty amazing," I said as I tossed my hair dramatically. "Does this mean we can start making horribly unreasonable demands on the rider?"

"I never did like brown M&M's," Alice said to the form she was filling out.

"Sure, I work with you all this time, and you choose this moment to grow rock star egos!" Esme threw her arms in the air and tried not to laugh as she handed us another stack of papers. We looked at the dauntingly large stack of forms and got down to the business of filling them out.

"Well, I think that's about it." Esme groaned as she handed us the copies of our finalized contract three hours later.

We had relocated back to the board room when Esme's desk became too small for us to spread out, read, and sign all the documents that needed our attention.

"Esme, you deal with all this paperwork regularly? How are you not blind?" Alice said, looking slightly cross-eyed.

"Who says I'm not?" She pointed at her glasses. "So, you're back to the hotel tonight, and tomorrow you head back to Virginia, right?"

"Yep. Apparently, we have some packing and loose ends to attend to." I tried not to beam like a kid on Christmas morning, but I knew I wasn't fooling anyone.

"I hope you're excited. I think you're going to have a lot of fun!"

"Esme, you honestly have no idea how excited we are. We're just a little too stunned to process it right now, I think. Bella will probably wake up at four a.m. and start freaking out on me," Alice said.

I nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

-==\\\//==-

Alice POV

We used the time in the car as we drove back to Virginia to discuss every element of the meeting ad-nauseam. "I think it's weird that they didn't even go away from the table to pretend to discuss it. Esme must have really talked us up."

"We definitely need to send her something as a thank you." Bella was still in awe over the developments of the past 24 hours.

"Yeah, we should… Bella? We're going on a six month, cross-country tour with Midnight Sun!"

"I KNOW!" Bella screamed as I joined in. We'd been doing that every half hour or so since we'd left New York.

We pulled up to the house and unpacked the car, suddenly overwhelmed with all the things that needed to be done in the next two weeks. Luckily, we didn't have to worry about doing anything to prepare the house for our six-month absence.

Bella and I had moved out of our parent’s home after college, but we ended up living there again a few years ago. With the constant traveling we did, it was pointless to get a place of our own just so it could sit empty most of the time.

The first task to be accomplished was stocking up on supplies. We had decided to upgrade some of our gear to celebrate the new job. Bella may claim to hate shopping but get her into an electronics store, and the girl puts me to shame. She managed to pick up a new digital still camera, new drives, and RAM for our laptops. She also insisted that we needed a few thumb drives, various peripherals like headphones, and assorted cables that were always getting lost or broken.

I always made fun of her for being so over-prepared, but the fact was, Bella was the one you went to when you needed something.

I took care of the rest of the shopping; toiletries, office supplies, clothes, etc. After much grumbling from Bella that she didn't need new clothes, I reminded her that we might have to go for long periods between Laundromats. She would appreciate more than the three pairs of shorts she currently owned when we ended up in California or Florida in the middle of summer. She left me alone then.

When we first got home from New York, it felt like two weeks would never pass. Now it seemed like we had blinked, and we were standing in the Richmond International Airport, hugging Charlie and Renee goodbye.

"Be careful, girls." Renee was sniffling as she crushed Bella.

"Mom. Can't. Breathe," Bella managed to gasp.

"Oh, sorry, Honey." Renee turned to me and gave me a rib-splitting hug too. "I'm going to miss you girls so much. Six months is too long!"

"We'll be home before you know it, Mom," I said as I winced and rubbed my side.

Charlie chuckled. "Be careful and _be safe_. You know I worry about you two surrounded by all these rock stars and parties."

"We'll be fine, Dad." Bella smiled as she threw her arms around him. "You know we're usually too busy to join in on the wild parties."

He grunted in a non-committal way as he hugged me. "Make sure you keep in touch."

"We will," I promised.

Bella pushed the luggage cart to the check-in desk and, before we knew it, we were getting on the plane and on our way to Chicago to meet up with the tour.

-==\\\//==-


	3. Get Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.
> 
> Original betas for this chapter: LouderThanSirens and SecretlySeverus.

**Chapter Three**  
Get Together

Bella POV

Alice fell in love with our bus right away, it was big, shiny, and bright purple. She thought it was _very Alice_.

As was fairly common in this kind of situation, the buses were starting out from Midnight Sun's hometown of Chicago a week before the first show was scheduled. We were along to document some of the journey. Our group would take the equipment, and some of the crew to Phoenix, Arizona, and the band would be flying in with Carlisle three days before the tour started. This extra time gave everyone time to find the kinks and then correct any issues that presented themselves.

As it turned out, except for Alice and me, our bus would be empty for the trip. A handful of the crew would be on the band bus (mostly the guitar techs, sound, and lighting guys).

Alice and I spent at least ten minutes wandering around the bus and exploring the inside. This seemed to entertain Carlisle a great deal. He was overseeing the departure and made time to answer any last-minute questions we had. We tried our best not to look at everything with wide-eyed awe, but judging from the amusement Carlisle was getting from our reactions, we failed miserably.

Of course, we had been on the road before, but usually, we were in a van or driving ourselves in a car. Once, we'd had a small motor home shared between six people, and we'd thought that had been luxurious simply because we'd gotten to sleep between cities when we weren’t on driving duty. Now we had our own bunks, separate TVs and stereos in the front and back lounge, satellite television, a small kitchen area with a travel fridge and sink, plus an actual table to sit and eat at.

It was like a mini apartment on wheels, and we couldn't help but be impressed. We packed our bags into the storage bays under the bus said our goodbye's to Carlisle. Before he left, he gave us the finalized tour schedule and the tentative press schedule. While the tour was more or less set at this point, press schedules were only done a few weeks at a time and changed continuously.

Once the bus finally started moving, we were officially on tour with Midnight Sun. Alice and I sat on couches across from each other with stupid smiles plastered on our faces.

"Bella, it doesn't get any better than this," Alice said to me.

I nodded in complete agreement.

It took all of six hours for the bus to go from awe-inspiring to boring. Sure it was more comfortable than a car, but there was still nothing on TV, and you were still stuck inside a moving vehicle. This was one of many universal truths that we would discover in our adventures. A road trip was a road trip regardless of the vehicle you were in, especially when you were looking forward to reaching the other end.

There was still a lot to be done, however, so we threw ourselves into our work. We intended to have a detailed itinerary of our own by the time we reached Arizona. It was a simple if long process. We listed everything we needed and divided it up between the cities depending on the events that were happening. Sometimes there would be soundcheck parties or meet and greets; other times, it was all-day interviews. All of it would make for excellent fare for our work.

The bus made a scheduled stop in Oklahoma to let the driver sleep for a few hours. We took advantage of the break to stretch our legs and get some food that wasn't greasy truck stop fare. During the tour, the busses would be able to travel through the night as we slept because the drivers would rest in the daytime as we worked. However, because this initial trip was a solid 26-hour drive, we needed at least one stop to let the poor man rest.

After a long and uneventful trip the next day, we pulled up to the hotel in Phoenix and felt our excitement level shoot up all over again. We had two free days to prepare, then the band would fly in early and would head directly to the venue for two days of rehearsals. The second evening would be devoted to a small get together to celebrate the start of the tour before it officially began the next day.

The edict regarding the get together had come from Carlisle via email a few hours earlier. We were to meet everyone at a restaurant for dinner, and then the group would head to a bar afterward for some general debauchery. We were also informed that attendance to both was mandatory even if the drinking wasn't.

I had a sneaking suspicion that Esme was behind Carlisle's insistence. Alice and Esme had conspired many times over the years to get me to go to parties and clubs. They both were under the impression that I was a bit of a workaholic. Esme didn't even have to be in the same state that the scheming took place to be involved most of the time. Unfortunately for me, she seemed to have a new ally in Carlisle.

The scheming was unnecessary, of course. Even with my slight discomfort of group gatherings, I had no intention of missing a night out with the band. Alice spent hours selecting clothes and had narrowed it down to three outfits. She spent the evening trying to decide which to wear.

After two days of observation and planning, we were feeling good. Everyone was always busy, and we hadn’t got to know anyone, but we were starting to understand how they worked. Part of our job was getting the work done without getting in the way. We could and had worked on the fly many times, but it a nice change to get the rhythm in advance since this was an extended gig.

It seemed like no time had passed when we found ourselves in a quiet, out of the way place for a fantastic supper. It was the kind of place that the locals never let the tourists know about. Rehearsal had gone smoothly, and everyone was pleased and confident about tomorrow's show. It was a lovely meal, nothing too fancy, just excellent homey food with a handful of friends. We had just finished dinner, and Carlisle was settling the check when we started discussing where to go for drinks. The few drinks consumed with dinner were already doing their job, and everyone was beginning to get chattier as they relaxed.

Alice and I rarely drank much at these types of events, regardless of how much we joked about it. We had fun, and we were at ease, but we always made sure to keep common sense and discretion in the backs of our heads at all times.

Sam suggested a place close to the hotel for easy travel purposes, and we split up in cabs to head over. The bar was spacious, but warmly decorated, and I was impressed with the layout. There was a large area with the main bar and open floor with tables to encourage mingling, but there were also many more private areas scattered around the edges. Some were suited to larger groups, and that was where we staked our claim for the night.

"Ok, first things first, then we get to interrogate the newbies." Emmett motioned a waitress over. He ordered two pitchers of beer and turned to us.

Alice narrowed her eyes at Emmett for a moment. I always trusted her judgment in these situations. Sometimes it was a good idea to knock back a beer or two and be one of the boys, but it had also been helpful to order soda and distance ourselves when our companions were on the rowdier side. If we weren't drinking, we could duck out early in the evening. Alice usually had a good feel for where the evening would take us. Alice reached her decision and nodded. "Make it three pitchers."

Emmett let out a cheer of approval and ordered some finger food. "Alright, now on to the most important question," he said, getting suddenly serious. "Mario or Zelda?"

The men at the table groaned, and Jasper slapped Emmett on the back of the head. "Just ignore him, we do…"

"Well, I've always enjoyed Mario, but I'm an RPG lover at heart, so Zelda would win." I accepted my glass from the waitress as the table fell silent. Alice rolled her eyes.

Emmett nodded in approval but then looked calculating. "Ok then, Zelda or Final Fantasy?""

"They each have their charm. I like cereal, but sometimes, I want toast." I stated. Emmett reached over the table to give me a high five.

"Have you played all the Zelda's? Even the first one?"

"With the pixely octorocks and everything? Of course, you've got to respect the roots!"

Emmett opened his mouth again, but Alice cut him off. "Oh, hell no! I am not sitting here listening to two game geeks get their nerd on all night. If either of you so much as mentions Fortnite, I swear I _will_ hurt you."

The table fell into raucous laughter as Emmett and I shrugged at each other. Pretty soon, we were all drinking, and the guys were keeping Alice and I entertained with road stories.

"So, Jasper comes out of the shower, and his hair is all purple. I know that dye in the shampoo isn't exactly original, but the classics became classics for a reason!" Emmett seemed to be the connoisseur of pranks amongst the group.

"Oh my god," Alice gasped between laughs as she turned to Jasper. "Is that why your hair was purple in all those photos? I thought it was so strange that you just decided to do something so drastic."

"Yes, that would be why." He glared at Emmett. "The stuff wouldn't wash out. I ended up having to go and get my hair bleached." Jasper muttered under his breath and took a mouthful of beer. "I got him back though. I took a garbage can full of water and set it on the bus stairs so that it was leaning against the door. Emmett was trying to look all suave for some fans standing outside of the bus. When he opened the door, he got soaked with ice water."

"That wasn't funny, it was January. In Canada."

Judging by how everyone at the table was laughing at him, no one felt bad about it.

Edward recovered first. "Emmett, I don't think anyone has any pity for you at all anymore after your infatuation with injecting things with habanero pepper juice," Edward explained for our benefit. "For a while, it wasn't safe to eat anything, fruit, vegetables, chocolates, ice cream, he even put it in Carlisle's toothpaste."

Carlisle gave Edward a stern look. "Imagine someone wanting to get on my bad side. If you can believe it, someone even replaced my sugar with Ascorbic Acid." He looked over at Alice and I. "That's the stuff that makes sour candy sour. That made for an interesting morning coffee. In fact, it was only surpassed when someone switched my sugar out for salt."

Edward did his best not to laugh. He sort of looked like he was in pain. "We never were able to prove who did that, Carlisle."

"Right, still a complete mystery," Carlisle said coolly.

The stories continued, and the evening was spent drinking and laughing. After a couple of hours and many drinks, everyone was starting to fade. I was about to call it a night when Edward beat me to it.

"Well, I'm done. It's time for me to get back to the hotel." He groaned as he pushed himself up from the table and slowly steadied himself.

"Man, you were done six drinks ago, now you're just shitfaced!" Sam shot at him as everyone laughed.

"I'm heading back too, I'm dead. I'll walk with you." I glanced at the remnants of our party and settled on Jasper, who seemed the soberest of the bunch. "Please tell Alice where I went when she gets back from the bathroom? And make sure she walks back with someone, ok?"

We were only a block or two from the hotel, but it was getting very late. Jasper nodded to me as everyone said their goodbyes. I may have bailed on Alice, but I also possibly set her up for some Jasper time. She would understand the gamble and appreciate it, even if it didn't work out.

It really had been a good night, and there was new ease amongst the group. Many more road stories had been shared, and almost everyone was on the receiving end of at least one embarrassing memory from past tours. I vowed not to be the focus of too many of those by the end of the tour.

Sam was definitely on the mark about Edward. He was long past drunk and mostly concentrated on his feet as we strolled quietly back to the hotel. I found myself lost in thought and pleased by the comfortable silence between us. By the time we got to the lobby, he was leaning on me more, and I was wondering if I should find a luggage cart in case he passed out in the elevator. A giggle escaped as I pictured him waking up on one at the foot of his bed. My laugh caught his attention.

"What?"

"Nothing, just remembering one of Carlisle's stories. It was a fun night, thanks for inviting us."

"Of course, you and Alice are welcome; you're part of the road family now, you know. We always get together at the start of a long tour like this one. We catch up with each other and get to know the new faces." He smiled genuinely.

"And drink," I said as I laughed.

"And drink!" he agreed. "Although I think I overdid it a bit. I'm going to regret it tomorrow."

"Are you ever… just don't pass out before I get you back to your room and into bed!"

"Bella, are you trying to get me into bed?"

I stammered and might have managed one complete word before he broke out laughing. "Look at that blush! Oh, I'm going to have fun with _you_."

"Great, between you and Alice, I'm going to look like I have a permanent sunburn. Come on, this is our floor," I grumbled and dragged him out of the elevator. He still had his arm around my shoulders and continued to laugh at me as we traveled down the hallway.

"Where's your key?"

"In my pocket," he winked at me.

"You are so drunk! I am not fishing in your pockets for your key. Get it yourself."

"You're breaking my heart, beautiful Bella." He looked at me intently. I knew he was trying to embarrass me even as I felt the heat flood my face. I didn't see the sport in it, shooting fish in a barrel probably would have been easier.

"Sure, sure. Just get the damn key," Luckily, the first blush hadn't completely cleared yet, so I hoped that it went unnoticed.

He found his key card and handed it to me. Edward leaned against the wall as I got the door open. He took one step toward his room and promptly passed out while still half in the hallway.

After dragging him partway into the room, I gave up and did some hangover prep instead. I got a large bottle of water and put it on the table at the side of his bed. Then, I added the empty ice bucket, in case of emergency, and even relocated the coffee maker. I prepared it to brew, so all he needed to do in the morning was reach over and flip the switch. Hotel coffee may be nasty, but it was still coffee. After carefully closing the curtains to keep out the evil sunlight in the morning, I pulled back the sheets on the bed. With everything prepared, it was time to address the problem of the tall, well-built man on the floor. I sighed and placed my hands on my hips, contemplating how I was going to get him into bed.

Then, I took a moment to appreciate that thought appropriately.

I was still appreciating when I heard Jasper's laugh. I looked up and saw him standing in the hall, taking in the scene.

"Good timing! Heavy lifting was not part of this contract. Can you toss him into bed? I need to run back to my room for a second."

Jasper laughed again and stepped over Edward to enter the room as I went to get a bottle of Aspirin from ours. I called out to Alice, who was singing in the bathroom, that I would be right back. Something good had definitely happened with her, and she needed proper questioning. I returned to find Jasper thoughtfully assessing my bedside hangover kit. I added the Aspirin and started to pull off one of Edward's boots.

"You guys have a bunch of press before the show tomorrow, plus it's the first show of the tour, I didn't want him to be in bad shape," I stated simply, and Jasper nodded. He was still looking thoughtful, and it was starting to make me nervous.

"You may want to take a couple of those for the morning if you don't have any," I said, gesturing at the Aspirin as I made my way to the other side of the bed and started on the other boot.

He smiled and brightened. "No, I think I'll be fine, I only had a few drinks." He looked at Edward again and shook his head. "Man, he is not going to be fun tomorrow. I can't even remember the last time he got this drunk. It's not like him."

"Don't do the crime..." I finished wrestling the boot off with a triumphant grunt and dropped it on the floor. "Alright, my meddling is done. I think I'm going to go crash. Have a good night, Jasper." I forced myself to walk and not run from the room.

"Bella?" I swallowed and wondered why I was so nervous all of a sudden. I turned around, thoughtful Jasper was back.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for taking care of him. Edward would be appropriately embarrassed for not thanking you himself. If he could remember, I mean." He laughed wryly.

"No problem, Jasper. It's what we're here for, you know. We're thinking of getting business cards made up saying _content production and hangover specialists_ ," I said airily as I smiled and left the room.

I was halfway down the hall when I heard Jasper come out of Edward's room and close the door, but I forced myself not to look back as I returned to Alice. I was pacing and gnawing on my lip as she came out of the bathroom.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop that, Bella? You're going to end up with ugly chapped lips that are no fun to suck on."

"What?" I said, coming out of my reverie. "Sucking on? Pfft, Alice, unless you're planning on sucking on my lips, I don't think it's something I need to be concerned about."

She snorted and stretched out on her stomach with her feet in the air. As she rested her chin on her fists, she looked me over. "So?" she asked suggestively.

"Hmm, not much, he was very drunk. Mostly, we walked back to the hotel in silence, but it was comfortable, and not at all awkward. He said that we were part of the ‘road family’ when I thanked him for inviting us. He did, however, want me to fish his key card out of his jeans pocket. I think that he was just trying to make me blush again though," I said thoughtfully.

"Again? When was the first time?"

"I told him not to pass out till I got him back to his room and into bed. He said, _Bella, are you trying to get me into bed?"_ I blushed again at the memory.

Alice buried her face in her comforter, laughing.

I shot her a withering look and continued. "So anyway, I told him to get his own damn key, and he did. Once I got the door open, he took one step and passed out. I was going to drag him into the room, but he was too heavy. So I got some stuff together for his inevitable hangover by the side of his bed. When I was done, Jasper was walking by, and he helped. Which brings us to you— how was your walk back?"

"Wonderful." She smiled dreamily. "We talked about all kinds of random stuff. I was impressed. You know, he seems like a good guy. I really think I want to get to know him better."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh, you know what I mean, not like that. He’s just…like I said, he seems like a good guy."

I nodded and fell on the bed opposite Alice. "Edward seems to be a good guy too. I hope he doesn't drink like this all the time. I'd hate to see him be the partying type. I've seen too many guys burn out like that."

I heard a soft snore from the other side of the room and shook my head as I got up to complete my evening bathroom routine. On my way back to my bed, I folded the covers over Alice and settled in to channel surfed until I found some Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns.

I woke to a muffled groan and rolled over toward the other bed. I chuckled at the Alice-shaped cocoon in the middle, struggling to hatch. I climbed out and went to the head of the bed to help. When I got to the center, I found Alice's feet. This confounded my sleep muddled brain until I remember that she'd fallen asleep upside down last night. After I extracted her from her tangle of covers, she ran to the bathroom.

"I need coffee. Now," she said as she staggered back.

"Ugh," was all I managed in agreement as I pulled my hair up into something that resembled a ponytail. "I didn't drink very much, but I still think I need large quantities of caffeine."

Alice made a face in the mirror and looked over her clothes before coming to a decision. "Fuck it. I'm not going to scare small children, am I? Everyone else can deal with it."

"Nah you're fine, I'm not even going into bra territory until I've had something from the coffee bean and baked good families."

She laughed, and we headed to the lobby.

"I was having the most screwed up dreams last night. Emmett, Jasper, Edward, and Carlisle were all vampires, and I was chasing them around screaming 'Meet Mr. Pointy.' I am never watching Buffy after a night of Jäger again," I told Alice as we stepped on the elevator.

When she finally stopped giggling, I sighed and shook my head to clear the image of the dream. "So did you really mean what you said about getting to know Jasper better?" The elevator jerked to a stop, and we stepped out into the lobby.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm not going to chase after him like a lost puppy dog or anything. He just caught my interest, that's all." She pointed toward the hotel restaurant, and I followed the heavenly scent of coffee.

"Speak of the devil." I waved toward the group of musicians in the back of the small restaurant. Alice followed my line of sight and did the same with a wide smile.

I looked back at the three men in baseball caps. "You know it never ceases to amaze me how often musicians get away with not getting recognized simply by tossing on a ball cap."

Alice huffed in annoyance. "It's not _just_ the ball cap, Bella. They're not dressed like they usually are when people see them, they're not all made up and polished."

"Alice, it's Midnight Sun, not KISS. They don't do makeup and polish."

She hung her head. "Why must you hurt me so, Bella. It's their appearance, we've gone through this so many times, it's why I hate your sweats. You don't have the right attitude in them. Attitude alone can make you an entirely different person. They—" she gestured quickly to the band members "—are not 'on' right now. They're flying under the radar."

"Ok, I get it," I mumbled, trying to fend off the inadvertent fashion lecture I had evoked.

"No, you don't, but I need coffee and food before we continue the lesson."

We turned to the coffee and settled on the largest cups we could find before setting our sights on a mouthwatering selection of fresh baked goods. I picked up a giant blueberry muffin and started chattering to Alice quietly.

"Edward was cute last night. I don't think he was trying to come on to me or anything, he was just playful. He had me howling at the bar though. With that stuff he pulled on Carlisle, I'm surprised he hasn't been 'accidentally’ electrocuted yet. I bet he's a lot of fun to be around."

I looked up from where Alice was browsing the bagels to see the subject of my conversation staring over at us. Catching my eye, he motioned for us to join the group. I smiled at him, pointing at the coffee in my hand, then toward the ceiling to tell him we needed to get back to the room.

Alice grabbed a sesame seed bagel and a package of cream cheese, waved vaguely in the direction of the band, and headed back toward the bank of elevators. She was firing off a long list of things we needed to prepare for the show today. My eyes lingered on Edward as he turned back to Jasper, who laughed at him. If nothing else, he didn't seem to be hungover, and I was thankful for that. My setup last night seemed to have done him some good. I smiled to myself and stepped into the elevator behind Alice.

-==\\\//==-

_Edward POV_

I groaned as the thudding in my head reached an almost nauseating level. I tried to remember where the night ended, but couldn't seem to bring it to a conclusion. I knew from experience that this meant I was about to wake up somewhere unpleasant.

It was the rule amongst the group that if anyone was stupid enough to indulge and pass out, they lay where they fell. The only exceptions were bodily harm or getting left behind as the busses moved on. I remembered the time we left Emmett passed out behind the bus in Washington. We kept an eye on him, of course, but Rosalie wasn't thrilled when her friend sent her pictures of him a fan had posted. I chuckled and stopped quickly as the world started moving in unpleasant ways.

Wherever I was, it was dark, which was very good for my splitting headache. I moaned again and moved slightly, trying to assess what I was in for when I opened my eyes. The texture of the ground was…soft. It almost felt like I was in bed. I vaguely knew that I'd never made it to bed last night, though, so…ah shit, I cringed. Did they let me pick someone up at the bar? That was just low; drunken one night stands rarely ended well.

I prepared for the worst and raised my head very slowly to look around.

I was alone, in bed, and in my own room. Hmm… this was new. In the dim light, I looked over to the bedside table and saw the water and bottle of Aspirin. I silently thanked the person that had taken mercy on me last night. Grabbing the bottle, I downed a few of the blessed pills and most of the water. Then I saw the coffee maker and wondered if I was in some twisted alternate universe. I switched it on and fell back into my pillow as I prayed for the Aspirin and scent of mediocre coffee to stop the room from spinning.

An hour later, I was in a hot shower and feeling almost human again. The bedside preparations still bothered me. I was wondering if there was a new punishment for overindulgence coming and how it could be worse than public humiliation.

The last thing I remembered was hanging out in the bar. I smiled to myself as I let the hot water cascade over my alcohol abused body. We were all quite happy with Bella and Alice. Even though it was only the first day we’d all been together, they were fitting in perfectly and seemed at home around the crew and us.

Both women had an easy-going nature that was necessary for a peaceful life on the road, and they didn't need a lot of hand-holding to figure things out. They seemed determined to pull their own weight and got offended if anyone suggested otherwise.

In the short time I'd spent around them, it was apparent that they were here to work and not be eye candy. Not that I didn't appreciate the view. Alice wasn't really my type, but Bella most certainly was. She was natural, not caked in makeup, and always worried about her hair. I couldn't deny that having women throw themselves at you was flattering, but some of them may as well have been plastic. It worked for some guys, but not for me.

Sure, the end of the night was foggy, but I remembered lots of laughing and talking from both of the new additions once they had gotten over their initial shyness. I also remembered that I'd really liked Bella's laugh and found myself lost in that memory for a while. I shook my head to clear the daydream and got out of the shower. I toweled off, got dressed, and assessed my stomach's reaction to the thought of some solid food. It didn't give off any audible warnings, so I figured it was safe to head down for some breakfast.

I spotted Jasper and Emmett at a table in the back of the hotel restaurant and joined them.

"You look surprisingly un-hung-over," Emmett stated bitterly as he nursed his coffee. "You had way too much to drink to look this happy."

"Yeah, imagine my surprise. I must have been in horrible shape for one of you to get me back to my room, in bed, and get all that stuff together instead of leaving me to the wolves," I said as I browsed the menu. "Since it seems you weren't too far behind me, Emmett, I'm guessing I have you to thank, Jasper? What's with the sudden compassion?"

Jasper snorted in disgust. "Don't thank me, I would have been perfectly happy to leave your passed out ass in the hallway, but Bella asked nicely. She's the one who took pity on you."

I choked on my coffee. "Bella walked with me back to the hotel?" I was all too aware of the fact that alcohol could make me overly friendly toward women, it was one of the reasons I tried not to get carried away. Once again, I worked in vain to force my memory to recover the evening.

"She left when you did. Alice and I left about five minutes later. Emmett seems to have stayed a few drinks too long. Of course, I remember my conversation with Alice," he said smugly. "It doesn't look like you caused too much damage though, at least you didn't wake up with her," he trailed off, raising a hand in greeting towards the buffet table at the front of the small restaurant.

I looked over and saw that Alice and Bella had wandered in. They looked like they had just rolled out of bed, Alice's short hair was always all over the place, but this morning it looked decidedly flat as well. Bella had pulled her long hair up into a thick, messy ponytail. I liked that they wore bed-head to the lobby; it made them refreshingly down to earth. Plus, the added bonus of bed-head is that it seemed to come with the absence of a bra, and I was enjoying the view. I only felt slightly guilty for ogling Bella when she had made my morning considerably less unpleasant than it should have been. They acknowledged us briefly and turned to browse the various breakfast offerings.

The waitress came back for my order and blocked them from view. I was feeling pretty good but decided to play it safe with toast and eggs. She disappeared, and I noticed the girls had moved on to the food, now desperately clutching two huge coffees. Bella took a muffin from the table and was talking to Alice as she waited for the dark-haired woman to make her choice. She looked over and caught my eye. I motioned to the empty seats at our table, but she smiled and shook her head, pointing at her coffee and then upstairs. Alice snatched a bagel, shot us another wave, and they both walked back to the lobby.

Jasper laughed at me again. "Like I said, you don't seem to have done too much damage. Don't worry about it."

Emmett had been watching them too, and he had a speculative look on his face. "I wonder how close they are."

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked, even though we both knew exactly what Emmett meant. He was a good guy, and he was devoted to his longtime girlfriend, Rosalie, who worked with our management company, but he could be… unsophisticated at times.

"I mean, they live together, but they have different last names. They share a room, and they're… you know close. Plus, they're staying in the same room."

I snorted. "Emmett, you just described half of all female best friends in the world. Does that make them all lesbians? They're sharing a room because that's what they were told to do."

"I don't mean anything by it, it's just…"

"Interesting," Jasper and I groaned at the same time.

"Hot!" Emmett said brightly.

"Come on," Jasper said, trying to get Emmett to focus. "I want to go over what we're playing at the radio station today before we leave."

-==\\\//==-


	4. Pranks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.
> 
> Original betas for this chapter: moonlightdreamer333 and thalia_csin

**Chapter Four**  
Pranks

Alice POV

On the day of the first show, we saw the well-oiled machine in action. Sam and Jacob were the guitar techs, responsible for handing off the instruments to Jasper and Edward during shows. Sam doubled as Emmett's drum tech, the two of them kept the instruments tuned and in top shape. Paul worked 'front of house' during the show, he took care of sound, mixing levels from the different instruments and microphones. Paul was the one who made everything sound right for the audience. Embry was in charge of lighting, he made everything _look_ good.

During a show, Carlisle monitored the auxiliary soundboard found at the side of the stage. It was the key to controlling what each of the musicians heard in their in-ear monitors. Before the show, Carlisle's home base was production. Production was any small room in the venue that could house the mobile office that was needed for all the communications and paperwork to be handled. This is also where we set up our laptops and equipment.

It wasn't long before we learned that it was customary for Midnight Sun to kick off a tour with a round of good old fashioned pranks. This time, however, Carlisle strictly forbade onstage antics. He had very seriously informed everyone that the tour was too big, and he needed to get everything working smoothly before, "you miscreants figure out ways to destroy it." The band and crew decided that, since Carlisle didn't say anything about the rest of the day, open season should be declared.

I assumed Bella and I were off-limits because we were new, and no one knew how we'd react yet. I was partially right, while nothing was directly aimed at us, we still had to watch for indiscriminate pranks that were looking for a target.

The day started with the porn on Emmett's drum kit during soundcheck, and it devolved from there. Next, we heard an impressive string of swearing coming from the dressing room bathroom. Emmett held up a roll of saran wrap when Edward and Jasper gave him a questioning look. They both shot him thumbs-up, and everyone dove back into their activities. Sam came storming out of the bathroom, shouting, "Who the fuck did that, that's just gross man."

Not to be outdone, Sam plotted his revenge carefully. A few hours later, we saw him run toward the buses with a stack of towels and what looked like some stray clothing. A few seconds later, we heard Edward bellow, "I'm gonna kill you, Sam," followed quickly by the man himself running toward the bus and wrapped in a poster. He stopped dead when he saw us sitting on the floor, cleaning lenses and checking over our gear. Bella happened to have a camera in her hand, as he saw this, he paled. He pointed at us angrily.

"If you take a picture of this, I swear you're both fair game!" He ran after Sam again, and Bella looked at me, obviously undecided. We settled on a wolf whistle. At least we got a good show.

Then the standard, ‘hide in something and scare the hell out of anyone who walks by’ became a favorite. We learned that Paul screamed like a girl and that Emmett was quite graceful for a man his size. When Jasper reflexively punched Embry, it was decided that wasn't such a fun prank anymore.

Dinner was a dangerous undertaking on a day like this. After the second can of Coke exploded on Jacob, everyone suddenly decided water was the safest thing to drink for the rest of the day. As the men opened their food containers, they discovered that everyone seemed to end up with some extras in their order. The lucky ones got hot sauce or peppers, the unlucky ones… Well, we never really did figure what some of the stuff was.

Bella offered our services as a neutral party and went to get another round of food, promising no one would touch it except its intended recipient. Edward tried to bribe us first, Jasper was next, and five minutes later, it was Emmett who had gone in with Sam and Jacob to try to sway us. The one who really surprised us was Carlisle. It seems he'd taken it personally when he'd found every pen and marker he owned super glued to the table.

I was half tempted to do something and get the first strike in, but Bella made a good point when she asked if we'd want them all united against us and if I had any undergarments I'd like to wear in front of a few thousand people because that was where it was most likely to go.

Later that night, Jasper disappeared into the bathroom to change for the show. When he came out, Edward howled and called to Bella, "now that you can take a picture of!" Jasper looked confused and then scowled as he headed over to a full-length mirror. 'Someone' had cut out the ass of his jeans. My money was on Carlisle.

They were an imaginative bunch. This wasn't a shaving cream and water buckets on doors kind of prank off, this was for personal pride. Strangely though, no one seemed to know who actually did what to whom. With so many people involved, it was too hard to guess.

The crowning achievement of the evening was the setlist, even if it didn't make it to its intended victims. Before each show, the techs would write out the names and order of songs to be played. The list was then taped near each of the band members, the guy at the soundboard, the guy doing the lights, etc. It kept everyone on the same page and let them know what's coming up next. Before Carlisle caught it, the setlist for that night had few songs, and none of them were by Midnight Sun.

After the show, an unspoken truce seemed to be called. Bella and I caught some downtime with the band before heading out to our bus to tackle the content we'd collected that day. We offered to help with teardown, but Jacob seemed to think that we weren't up for the job and dismissed us rudely. It was the only black mark on an otherwise perfectly fun day. I vowed to fix that little ruffle before morning.

Bella and I were beyond happy that everyone seemed to be so easygoing. We knew from experience that we'd have no problem fitting in here. There were a million things we wanted to do that night: relive every moment of our first day; go back in and drink with the band, check out the photos and video we snagged, but it had been a very long day, and we both ended up passed out in our bunks relatively early. That night, the busses would be driving to Anaheim.

Strangely enough, adjusting to the odd schedule of overnight drives and life on the road wasn't nearly as hard as we thought it would be. The tour and the people in it seemed to fit into its own little world, and that world had an ebb and flow just like any other.

Anaheim was much like Phoenix but without the pranks. Los Angeles was the same as that. In fact, before we knew it, we were in the second week of the tour, and we were starting to feel comfortable with what we were doing again. Even though this job dwarfed anything we had done before, we still felt ourselves settling into a familiar pattern.

We had a day off in Santa Cruise, and Bella and I planned to make the most of it. We decided that since this was a pretty big event in our lives and careers, we would each get the same tattoo in the same place. We didn't want something huge, just a small, tasteful reminder. The consensus so far was a little music note on our ankles.

Bella found a local place that seemed knowledgeable and reputable, so we made appointments for two that afternoon. The plan was to grab some lunch, maybe play tourist for a little while, and then go get our ink.

I was returning from a coffee and continental breakfast run (for future note, continental breakfast is a code for bagels and muffins, sometimes even less than that) around ten when I ran into Jasper in the hall. After exchanging pleasantries, he asked how we were planning on spending the day.

"Tattoos!" I said happily.

"You're going to get tattoos? Seriously?"

"Yeah, I mean, we're not going to get big hearts with MOM on our arms or anything, just a little one. We're going to head out to lunch in a bit and wander over there after that."

"Oh cool, do you mind if I join you? I was at a loss for something to do today, but a tattoo parlor seems somewhat promising."

I shrugged and laughed. "Sure, the more, the merrier!"

"Okay, meet in the lobby at noon? I'll see if anyone else wants to go."

"We'll be there," I assured him as I calmly and very deliberately did not run back to the room.

As always, Bella and I shared a room. We often wondered how often the topic of conversation amongst the men on a tour turned to what we were doing in our room. It wasn't that we were touchy-feely in front of everyone, but we were obviously good friends. And let's face it, they were males, it was a given they thought about it. We figured a little mystery made us intriguing and kept our raging penis fandom to ourselves.

Closing the door behind me, I leaned up against it and caught my breath. Bella watched my mini-meltdown and shook her head as she laughed.

"I take it you ran into Jasper in the hall? Either that or I'm really looking forward to meeting the room service guy."

I gave her a coffee and plopped down on my bed. "Definitely Jasper, the room service guy is jail bait and has a little filling out to do. He seemed nice enough though." I shrugged, and I waited for Bella to take a nice big gulp of coffee. I was determined to exact a small amount of revenge for her humor at my expense.

"So, Jasper is coming with us to lunch and then for our tattoos. He's going to ask the others and see if anyone else wants to go." Bella choked, and I smiled with satisfaction.

"Bitch, you did that on purpose."

"Who me?" I smiled angelically.

At noon, we found ourselves in the lobby waiting for Jasper and the rest of our mystery companions. As it turned out, Edward and Emmett both wanted to come.

"Who would have thought masochism was a spectator event?" I smiled at the three men. The five of us stepped out front and flagged a taxi. We assessed the small cab and our group. Emmett took the front seat simply because he would crush whoever sat in the back with him. It seemed to amuse the guys to no end when Bella slid to the middle seat in the back, and I climbed in on her lap.

It was second nature to us. All through University, whenever ur group of friends went anywhere, we were 'volunteered' to share a seat in vehicles because she was small and I was tiny. It was a habit we never seemed to drop. Jasper bent down and looked in the car, laughed, then shrugged, and told Edward to go around. They jammed themselves in, and we were off to the restaurant. Bella looked as smug as I did about our Jasper and Edward sandwich.

We entered the restaurant and waited to be seated. I noticed the hostess eyeing the men in our group immediately, but they seemed oblivious to it.

I leaned toward Bella and whispered, "Five bucks she asks for an autograph before we get to the table."

"Nah, she's not freaking out, she'll wait for them to be seated," Bella whispered.

The hostess looked around the restaurant and bounced lightly on the balls of her feet. "Excuse me, I don't want to be rude, but you guys are Midnight Sun, right?"

I heard Bella groan as I smiled in triumph. Sure enough, she asked for autographs as soon as Jasper confirmed her suspicion. The guys introduced themselves and signed a menu for her. I was grateful that she managed to keep her voice down and stay calm. I really wanted to eat here, and if we thought a flock of fans was going to show up, we'd have to move on. When her autograph requests were satisfied, she led us to a table.

"Your server will be along in a moment. It was really nice meeting you, thanks for the autographs." The girl smiled widely and practically floated back to her station at the entrance.

Bella sighed again before digging in her purse and handing me a five. The men looked at us in confusion.

"I bet Bella that the hostess would get your autographs before we were seated. She thought we'd make it to the table first."

Bella shook her head in shame. "I broke my own rule, never bet against Alice."

Everyone chuckled, and the server appeared to take our drink orders. Our main course had just arrived when the conversation turned from small talk to more personal questions aimed at us. They weren't intrusive, just ‘getting to know you’ stuff; still, I thought I caught a common theme. I debated on how much fun I wanted to have with these three. Emmett was doing all the questioning while Edward and Jasper shot him quick glances of warning we weren't meant to see.

"So, you two are from Virginia?" Emmett asked.

Bella nodded. "Ashland. My family's been there for generations."

"You too, Alice?" He turned to me, obviously hoping I'd be more forthcoming.

"Yeah." I casually continued picking the olives out of my salad.

"So you two are like best friends or something? Have you known each other long? When did you meet?"

Bella shot me a look, and I knew she was thinking the exact same thing I was. Emmett wasn't terribly subtle.

"Well, we did go to college together. We knew each other before that, but you know what they say, you really get to find yourself at that age. You get to branch out and learn new things about yourself. It was definitely an experimental time for us both," I said, nodding thoughtfully.

Bella coughed into her napkin, causing Edward to look at her. I thought I saw a knowing look cross his face before he smirked and hid it quickly.

Emmett looked a little shocked and very intrigued. It was suddenly like we were a new species, and he wanted to learn all about us. Bella let the bait sit for a minute or two as we both ate our salads, seemingly oblivious to Emmett's apparent awe. She looked up seriously and reached across the table to Emmett's hand, which she patted softly. "Emmett, honey, I like penises, so does Alice. Sorry."

Jasper snorted, and Edward howled. Almost everyone in the restaurant turned to look at the source of the noise as Emmett looked abashed and muttered something under his breath. He dove into his food and didn't come up for air until we were well into the next subject. Bella was recounting how we had come across Midnight Sun.

"Well, it's funny, actually because it was a complete accident. I was doing some research on Alaska for a paper and fell down a rabbit hole. Of course, Google eventually led me to the midnight sun and then references to you guys. I fell in love with your music."

Of course, I knew the truth was that she actually came across a picture of _Edward,_ and that sparked her sudden musical interest. However, the result was the same, so I wasn't about to contradict her. We both honestly did love their music.

"You know, Emmett wanted us to be called _Irritable Grizzlies_. I suppose you never would have become a fan if we had given in to him. He never was really able to explain what it meant," Edward said thoughtfully.

"I don't know, man. I told you I just like that name… _Irritable Grizzlies_. It's a good name!" Everyone looked at him blankly before we all broke out laughing again.

"Alright, so we should probably be on our way if we're going to make it by two o'clock," I said, taking some pity on Emmett as he seemed to be the target of the day.

Jasper insisted on picking up the check, saying that it had been a working lunch since we'd discussed the band. When Bella pointed out how lame that excuse was, because we'd spent all of fice minutes on the topic, and most of it was her story about them, Jasper snatched the check from her and stuck his tongue out.

"Oh, that's mature," Emmett grumbled. Being the butt of too many jokes had apparently put him in a bad mood.

I was determined to cheer him up, so as we were walking to the tattoo place a few blocks over, I brought up a subject that I noticed had always brought a smile to his face.

"So, Esme told us you and Rosalie are an item?"

He brightened right away. "Yeah, we've been together since high school. She's the one that got our tape to Esme and made sure she listened to it too. Rosalie is deadly when she wants something," he chuckled. "She's always really believed in us."

Emmett's love for Rosalie was unmistakable. Just thinking about her had changed his whole demeanor. He looked wistful and positively radiated happiness and contentment.

"Being on the road has got to be hard," Bella said sadly.

"Yeah, it can be, but she's a pretty independent person. She enjoys her time alone, so we make it work. Plus, we trust each other, that's the most important thing."

Emmett had always looked untroubled and playful, caught in a rare earnest moment, he looked older and wiser. There was definitely a lot more to him than he showed.

"Here we are." Bella excitedly headed into the store.

The heavily tattooed woman that greeted us introduced herself as Victoria. We explained what we wanted, and she showed us the appropriate sections of the sample books. The five of us debated different styles of notes and colors. I went first while the three men jockeyed for the best angle to watch.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Jasper asked.

"Just a little but mostly when she works over the bone." Victoria finished the small tattoo very quickly and covered the area.

Jasper and Edward continued to watch Bella as she got hers done, but Emmett wandered back over to the books. I went to sit with him. "What'cha doing, Emmett?"

"I was thinking about getting one too," he said hesitantly.

"Really? Of what and where? Wait, do I want to know the answer to either of those questions?" I teased.

"I thought I'd get a little rose. Then I could keep her close to it all the time."

"Emmett, that's so sweet," I said, shocked that he was capable of such a romantic notion. "I'm sure she'll love it."

-==\\\//==-


	5. Personal Space

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.
> 
> Original betas for this chapter: Jessica0306 and itsange

**Chapter Five**  
Personal Space

_Edward POV_

As much as I loved Seattle, I doubted that I would ever be able to get used to the constant rain and lack of sun. Being a musician meant that it was my job to be a night person, but it was still nice to see the sun. I didn't think we'd see much of it during our time on the cloudy Washington coast.

When I opened the curtain at the front of the bus, I saw the rain sheeting on the windshield. I swore and returned to my bunk to grab a hoodie, hoping it would keep me relatively dry as I made my way into the venue.

Alice snickered when she saw me. "Drowned rat doesn't suit you, Edward."

"Quiet, pixie."

She laughed again. "You're not a morning person, are you?"

"I wouldn't know; I rarely get up before noon. Now point me in the direction of the coffee, evil one."

"Second door on the left. Bella's on a coffee run, I'll tell her to get you something. The stuff in there will rot your gut. Do you want your usual?"

I nodded. "Tell her if she brings me a muffin, I'll kiss her."

Alice muttered something as she sent a text to Bella, but I was too intent on the promise of caffeine to pay attention.

"What's on the schedule today?"

"You've got two interviews, but they're both coming here, so you don't have to leave the venue today. We've also got contest winners coming in for soundcheck. It should be pretty straightforward. It's only a small group of sixteen or so."

"Sounds like a fairly light day then." Alice nodded and turned her attention to the array of blank paper splayed out on the stage. "What are you working on?"

"I'm choosing the paper for the cover of the book we're sending out to the fan club. It'll go out after the tour as a kind of scrapbook. I know what I'd like to use, but the cost is too high. I'm trying to find something close that's not so extravagant."

I watched and wondered what I missing as she picked up various pieces and assessed them carefully. "It's paper… isn't that a one size fits all sort of thing? It's flat, blank, and comes in different colors…"

"No, no, no. Here, take this." She handed me a sheet. It was thicker than standard paper but other than that, it was unremarkable.

"Now, this." She handed me a second sheet. This was as thick as the last, but it felt like a stiff fabric rather than paper.

"They're different, see. They give the book a different feel. The cover is the first impression, it sets the mood! Why do you use four guitars throughout your set?"

"Well, that's a little dif…" Alice narrowed her eyes, making me reconsider my argument. "Okay, I get it, the paper is important. I'm going to go find the other guys before you hurt me."

"That might be wise."

I wandered into the backstage area. Jasper's voice carried to me from the dressing room. "Are you sure they'll be here?"

"Is he sure who will be here?" Jasper nodded hello to me as I dropped into an overstuffed couch across from Emmett.

"Lauren and Jessica," Emmett said with disgust.

I groaned. "I guess we're not hanging outside after the show. Wait, how do you know they're coming?"

Emmett shrugged, and Jasper sighed deeply. "Emmett’s been reading email again."

"Oh man, Em, how can you stand that? Sometimes they’re great, but the scary ones are terrifying." I'd sworn off fan mail that hadn’t been filtered by the team years ago.

"It's funny! You should read the things they say about you two. There's one woman that…"

"No! I don't want to hear it - last time I had nightmares for a week."

"But Lauren loves you, Eddie!"

"Emmett, why are you calling him Eddie, you know he hates that. And who is Lauren?" Bella appeared in the doorway, looking like a goddess with coffee stacked three trays high.

"Hold that thought." She took a deep breath and shouted into the hallway. "Coffee's in the dressing room. I'm not delivering it, so get your slack asses in here."

Jumping up from the couch, I crossed the room quickly and took two of the trays from her. After placing them on the table, I attempted to decipher the grease pencil marks and find my black with three sugars. Bella hissed and slapped my hands while pushing me away.

"Stop it, I have a system!" She sorted out the drinks, handing a cup to Emmett and one to Jasper before finally locating mine.

"Wait, you wanted a muffin, too, right?" She opened her purse and handed me a paper bag with a blueberry muffin. I smiled and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to blush brightly.

"What was that for?" She looked absolutely stunned. It took most of my self-control to keep my smile from breaking into full-blown laughter.

Alice laughed from the doorway. "Well, he did promise to kiss you if you brought him a muffin."

"You didn't tell me that in your text, Alice."

"Are you telling me that you wouldn't have brought me a muffin if you'd known?" I gave her my best puppy dog eyes.

"She probably would have brought you two." Bella turned a brighter shade of red and glared at Alice as she started toward the assortment of coffee cups.

"Excuse me; I have to talk to my friend for a moment." Bella latched onto the other woman's arm and dragged her from the room.

I chuckled and turned back to the couch to see Jasper and Emmett staring at me. "What?"

"What was that all about?" Jasper's eyebrow looked like it was trying to crawl up his forehead.

I fell back onto the couch and shrugged. "That was nothing. Bella's fun to tease. I find it entertaining to make her blush, that's all."

"Yes, that's obviously all it was," Jasper said with annoying smugness.

I chose to ignore him and inhaled the beautiful scent of fresh coffee deeply. We sat in silence for a few moments before Bella returned to the room with Alice in tow, grinning like the Cheshire cat. They retrieved their coffees and sat down.

Bella turned to Emmett. "So, as I was saying, who's Lauren?"

"Well, that depends on who you ask. If you ask her and Jessica, they're our most devoted fans. If you ask us, they're scary-ass borderline stalkers."

"Emmett enjoys watching their encounters with us. He finds it humorous." I glared at him.

"It's not my fault if you can't handle a couple of little girls, Eddie."

"You weren't so blasé about it before they met Rosalie, fucker." I turned to the girls. "The last time we were in Seattle, Lauren and Jessica came to the show. Jasper and I managed to get out of the venue before they camped out at the bus, but Emmett was still stuck inside. When he came out, they cornered him."

Jasper suddenly found his coffee extremely interesting. "Edward and I may have been sitting inside the bus watching the whole thing play out."

"I could hear you both in there laughing!" Emmett pouted.

I cleared my throat so I could continue the story. "Anyway, they had him cornered and were making boasts about their proficiency with certain parts of the anatomy when Rosalie walked out. Emmett looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He didn't get two words of explanation out before Rose told them to stay the hell away from her man, or they'd be able to add gumming to their list of blow job skills. They haven't propositioned Emmett since."

"They just won't leave Edward or me alone." Jasper looked as excited about that as I did.

Alice laughed darkly. "I would have loved to see Rosalie in her glory. I can't wait to meet these two."

"I'm quite certain you'll get the chance. Don't hesitate to unleash the evil pixie on them, either." There was a slight hint of pleading in my voice, but if it got Lauren off my back, I would have dropped to my knees and begged.

Later that day, our interviews were finished, and soundcheck was approaching. I decided to spend the last few minutes checking over my gear and supplies. Jacob always kept everything organized and in top shape, but I enjoyed spending time with my guitars and fine-tuning my equipment.

Noticing that a small group of people were coming in the front door, I ducked behind a stack of gear and made sure I was out of sight. This was the first time I actually had a chance to see Alice and Bella interact with the fans. I usually saw them after the soundcheck during the meet and greet, but they always stood back and let the fans have their time without hovering.

As I watched, I saw the stark contrast between the way they worked and what I was used to. Whenever someone from the record label did this, they treated the fans like a herd of cattle. The group was directed from place to place while the person responsible used any downtime to check their email or talk on the phone. The girls engaged the fans as they waited, and it was clear that they truly enjoyed this part of their work.

I was impressed, to say the least. I knew from Esme that they had been doing this type of work for years, and a lot of people would have been jaded by now. The thing a lot of people forgot when they got a job in the industry was that music is a business. If you weren't prepared for that fact, it was a shock. I'd known plenty of people who went to work for a record label, and even knowing how cutthroat the business could be, they still got worn down by the day-to-day crap.

Jasper came up behind me. "You ready? Emmett's on his way."

I groaned in response as I saw two familiar blondes at the back of the group.

"I know that sound, that's the sound of the last of your hope being crushed by high heeled shoes. Let me guess - they made it to soundcheck?"

I watched as Lauren and Jessica settled in at the front of the stage. They were both in the tiniest skirts I had ever seen, and their shirts looked like they were about to revolt from being stretched so tightly. Even from this distance, I could see their makeup was thick enough to have been put on with a knife. They stood away from the rest of the group and preened.

I shook my head and turned toward Jasper. "Let's get this done."

We walked out on the stage to scattered applause from the small group. Jasper waved and slung the strap of his bass over his head. He played some random chords before starting into a familiar riff. I played a few notes, working off the tune he was playing. A few minutes later, Emmett still hadn't arrived, so I decided to have some fun with Jasper. I played the first few notes of Duelling Banjos.

There were some snickers from the crowd as he raised an eyebrow at me, but he returned the notes. I sent him the next part, which he again returned. We were into the song and laughing along with the fans before Emmett finally ran on stage, apologizing.

We worked through some of our set as everyone tweaked amps, speakers, and other equipment. I noticed a tall man with greasy hair and bad skin standing very close to Bella and practically drooling over her. The discomfort was evident on her face, and I chuckled at how oblivious this guy was. I saw her make a gesture with her camera and slip away from him. The guy didn't seem to take the hint as I saw him standing far too close to her three more times before we made our way to the floor for the meet and greet.

The three of us spread out and worked through the small crowd, chatting, signing autographs, and taking pictures. I noticed the greasy guy was still following Bella around like a puppy dog, and my annoyance with him flared.

We were finishing up with the last of the fans when a shrill voice reminded me why I was dreading this part of the day. Lauren and Jessica waved from across the room. All my hopes for wrapping this up at a reasonable time went up in smoke. Just as the would-be stalkers were making their way over, Bella and Alice cut them off.

Alice beamed at the girl they were dragging with them. "Guys, this is Angela Weber."

I shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Angela. I'm Edward."

"Oh, I know who you are. I've been following your music since your EP." Angela's blush rivaled Bella's.

"Angela is majoring in computer arts like Bella did. She's been picking our brains about our job all afternoon. I think she may be looking to replace us in a few years."

The color drained from Angela's face. "Oh no, Alice, I couldn't… I wouldn't…"

"Relax, honey, it was a joke."

Angela blushed again, and we talked for a while about music and other bands she liked. Once she relaxed a little, she became quite talkative. The six of us were having an enjoyable conversation before a sound I likened to fingernails scraping on a chalkboard interrupted us.

"Hi, Eddie! Jasper! Did you guys miss us?"

Obviously, Lauren was finished with waiting for her turn, and she ran up to me, pushing Angela out of the way. She threw her arms around my neck and jumped up to plant a kiss on my lips. Luckily, I was used to her greetings, and I turned my head so that she got my cheek instead. I saw her pout a little as she stepped back.

"Lauren, Jessica. How have you been?" I pried Lauren's arms from around my neck and took a step back to put some distance between us. Lauren wasn't having that, and she attached herself to my side. I saw Bella stifle a giggle, and Alice rolled her eyes at Angela.

"Oh, we're much better now that we've seen you three handsome men again!"

What the hell was I supposed to say to that? Thankfully, Bella covered for me.

"Well, I should probably start rounding everyone up and get them to head outside again. I'll be back in a bit. You stay here and hang out, Alice, I've got it."

I was grateful for Bella's effort, but if she thought Alice's presence would keep Lauren in line, she was mistaken. The girl had no verbal filter or sense of personal space.

Lauren surveyed Bella's retreating form with obvious disgust. "You really should pay your roadies more, Eddie, that girl is a train wreck."

"Well, when you do most of your work on your feet, instead of your back, you have to dress for comfort." Alice smiled sweetly at Lauren, who didn't seem to catch the insult. She focused her attention on Emmett.

"So, Emmett, you still with Rose?"

"Uh, yeah, of course."

"That's a shame. I know someone who would be perfect for you."

"Thanks, I think… but Rose and I are really happy. In fact, I should give her a call. It was nice seeing you guys again."

I gave Emmett the evil eye as he abandoned us.

Lauren was already babbling about all the things she'd done since she saw us last. I was so busy trying to think of a good exit strategy, I almost failed to notice that Jasper was getting the same treatment from Jessica.

"So, we'll be at every show right up until Denver!" I shuddered at Lauren's squeal, sure I'd lost an eardrum.

I choked in surprise as I realized what she was saying. "Wow, really? You're following us all the way to Colorado… that's uh, quite the trip."

"I know, I've seen you guys there before. Don't you remember, silly?" She giggled and slapped my arm lightly. I wanted to tell her that I didn’t. That I’d worked very hard to block all my past interactions with her from my memory, but I managed to keep my calm.

"If you've been before, you should think about going somewhere new on your vacation. Canada is beautiful, and Vancouver has a lot to see. It's an amazing city. The coast is always nice too; we just came up through California, and it was really beautiful. The scenery is just fantastic." I wondered if I knew enough about Antarctica to talk her into an extended visit.

"Maybe, but you won't be there, and you're the only scenery I'm interested in." She attempted to flutter her eyelashes, but the clumps of mascara made it look more like small flies were attacking her.

Alice's phone rang, and she stepped away from the group to take the call. I had the sudden urge to scream at her to not leave us. We had always tried to walk a fine line with some of the more obsessed fans. Discomfort was bearable, and brushing someone off too forcefully could have unfortunate consequences. Still, it was looking like our only choice this time would be to physically detach ourselves from the two women. Alice started walking toward us and winked.

"I'm so sorry to have to interrupt, but Ms. Klien needs to talk to you, Edward. She said something about an emergency meeting. Apparently, something's happened with the B-rig."

As far as I knew, our second set of equipment, or B-rig, was safe at home. We weren't going to need it on this tour. Who the hell was Ms. Klien?

Alice passed me her phone, and I heard Bella's familiar laugh on the line as I raised it to my ear.

"Hey, Edward, need a rescue?"

"That would be most welcome. What's the issue… is it serious?"

"Yes, I'm afraid it's dire. I think Lauren and Jessica might be a breeding ground for new and virulent forms of STDs. You should probably grab Jasper and get out of there. God only knows where their hands have been."

"Hmmm, you bring up a good point. The proximity to that is not my first choice. I'm sure the equipment in question has seen a lot of use, and anyone could have had their hands on it." Jasper's face was a mix of curiosity, panic, and disgust as Jessica hung off him.

"Edward, save poor Jasper, Jessica is practically dry humping him."

I coughed loudly to cover the snort of laughter. "That will have to be taken care of right away. Once I get Jasper and Emmett, we'll call you back. Thanks." I hung up and returned the phone to Alice, who gave me another wink.

"Sorry, ladies, but we have to go. There's a bit of an emergency we have to take care of." I started to wrench Jasper from Jessica's red talons.

Alice stepped between us and the stalkers and started showing them to the exit while ignoring their requests for passes, tickets, phone numbers, and stuttered goodbyes.

Jasper didn't need to be told twice, and he turned with me to head backstage. "What's wrong with the gear? We didn't even bring the second rig with us this time. Who in the hell is Ms. Klien?"

"That would be me." Bella was leaning against the side of the stage, doubled over, and trying to regain her composure.

"Alice and Bella orchestrated a clean getaway for us."

"Oh my god, I'm sorry. ' _The equipment in question has seen a lot of use_ ,' that was great." She took a deep breath. "I have to go and help Alice with the stragglers; we'll catch up with you later."

I relayed the other side of the call to Jasper while we walked back to the dressing room. Jacob was lounging in the dressing room when we entered.

"Did I see Lauren and Jessica?" His voice was tinged with disgust.

"That was them, keep your guard up, they'll be following us all the way to Denver."

"Fucking leeches. I'll let the other guys know."

We were all aware that besides a conquest story, either of those girls would be happy to take home a special memento. While the crew always watched over the gear closely, they made a special effort around those two. None of us put anything past them.

"We're going to have to do something about them. They're getting more and more clingy, and I'd really rather not need to shoot them down. They strike me as…"

"…possibly dangerously deluded?. Yeah, I agree. We'll tell Carlisle to keep them away, and then we'll only have to deal with them outside the venues. It's easier to ditch them there."

Jasper was writing in his notebook, and I was playing around on an acoustic when the women joined us again. Alice had an arm hung around Bella's shoulders for support while gasping for air. Bella looked positively surly.

"It's not funny, Alice."

"Oh my god, it so is. And it's not just funny, it's hilarious."

Bella pushed Alice off and stalked to the bathroom. Alice leaned up against the wall and continued to fight for air. She slid to the floor and held up her hand as we looked at her with curiosity.

"Did you guys notice the tall greasy guy that was hitting on Bella during soundcheck?"

"Yes." The annoyance in my voice must have caught Jasper's attention because he turned to stare at me.

"What? Bella was trying to blow him off, and the guy was clueless. He annoyed me. I can only imagine how she felt."

"Yeah, him! That was Mike Newton. He writes for a 'nationally acclaimed music site,' which turned out to be his personal blog when I checked. Okay, so we were kicking everyone out, and he puts his arm around Bella before she can duck out of it. He proceeds to tell her which hotel he's staying at and tries to give her a key card. Then, in what I imagine he thinks is his deep, sexy voice, he tells her that he's gonna 'rock her world,' but his voice cracks. Bella practically knocked him over, trying to get away from him and ran back into the venue. He just stood there with the key in his hand, looking astounded that she turned him down. It was just so damn funny."

"I swear to god, Alice. If you keep laughing, I'm going to sick the next creepy looking guy on you."

I wiped tears of laughter from my eyes. Bella came out of the bathroom and put her hands on her hips. She looked so adorable when she was mad.

Jasper walked over and put his arm around her shoulder. "Come on, Bella, it's not that bad. I had Jessica rubbing on me for a good five minutes. I feel like I need a course of antibiotics after that."

Bella looked up at him and fought the smile that was breaking across her face. She gave up eventually and joined in with the rest of us.

"Now that we've all had a good laugh at my expense, I need to go download pics from the cameras."

She stopped beside Alice at the door, and I barely hear her low voice threaten her friend. "You're still gonna pay, evil one. Now I owe you for that and the muffin thing."

-==\\\//==-


	6. The Rules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.
> 
> Original betas for this chapter: Maddie and Lulu M

**Chapter Six**  
The Rules

Bella POV

"You're drooling." I giggled.

"Am not," Alice replied, absently wiping her chin.

"I wonder if he really needs to bend over that amp like that? Maybe he knows you're up here and is giving you a show," I stated with mock seriousness.

"I don't know, but if there is a god in heaven, he'll never find what he's looking for." Alice moaned as she turned her head sideways to admire the view from another angle. A disappointed sigh escaped her as Jasper's head popped up from the other side of the amp, and he walked across the stage to the soundboard.

"Take heart, my dear Alice, maybe he'll get a shower in the dressing room again, and you can just happen to be visiting as he strolls out in a towel." She moaned at that particular memory. I laughed as I opened my phone to check my messages.

"Close that right now! You know the rules! No light!" she hissed at me as I quickly closed the phone again. I apologized for forgetting where we were and promptly rejoined Alice's ogling, or as we referred to it in outside company, strategy and brainstorming session. Alice's brain was certainly storming as Jasper pulled off his long sleeve shirt while trying to fight down the tank top that wanted to follow suit.

"Do you think we could get a telescopic lens covered? Or would someone notice it on the expense report?" she asked dreamily.

"Even if we did get it covered, a plethora of close-ups on treasure trails and nipples would take a lot of explaining when they were inevitably discovered."

"You're all calm and smooth now, but just you wait. Edward will be showing up soon, and then you'll be as incoherent as I am."

"Pfft. I'm always calm and collected! I'm never inco…. Oooh." At that moment, Edward strolled across the stage, and I forgot the critical point that I was trying to make. Alice laughed loudly. One of the techs searched for the source of the noise, and she threw her hand over her mouth.

When possible, Alice and I had been holding our meetings to coincide with sound checks as soon as we realized her gift for finding meeting places that were dark and hidden. While we often gathered content at soundcheck, the guys weren't always camera ready, so there were plenty of days off to ogle. It's not like we couldn't watch from the stage, or sitting in the front row. The problem was that for soundcheck, the house lights were always on, and they could see us too.

These 'meetings' provided us with a (mostly) safe time and place in which we could leer and mentally undress the objects of our lust without being caught. We spent a lot of time around these beautiful men forcing ourselves to be coherent. Our minds needed the time to wander freely.

We both had moments when we were pushed to our limits. My mind immediately recalled the incident yesterday, when Alice was most recently put to the test.

_I was double-checking the list of topics for Emmett to cover in the interview he was doing later that day. "Okay, we've finished almost all of the questions, Emmett. Amazingly, you've got through most of them without excessive swearing or lewd comments!"_

_Alice snickered and continued eating her ice cream._

_"Oh, ye of little faith! I'm not a complete ass, you know. I can be smart and polite and…stuff," Emmett said with mild indignation._

_Alice doubled over laughing. I did my best not to follow her example. "You're a fantastic person, Emmett, and I have no doubt that you can be all of those things when you want to. The problem is that your desire gives out at the most inconvenient times."_

_I jumped when I heard Jasper's voice behind me. "Like the interview last week when you told the guy his wig would be awesome for your Halloween costume."_

_"Yeah, well, it turns out it wasn't a wig." Emmett still looked disappointed at the memory._

_"And that would be my point," Jasper said, shaking his head._

_Alice and I may have stopped breathing when Jasper appeared from the shower. He was soaking wet and held a towel loosely about his hips with one hand. Water dripped down his torso in fascinating ways._

_Luckily, he didn't pay attention to either one of us. He walked over to a bag on the table, fished out a bottle of body wash, and walked back toward the bathroom._

_Emmett looked at the trail of water in Jasper's wake. "You call me a pig. You ass, look at the water all over the place. You're cleaning that shit up."_

_Jasper's response was the one-finger salute. Just as the singer was about to round the corner to head back into the shower, Emmett snatched the half-empty water bottle from the table beside him and threw it. It smacked loudly in the middle of Jasper's back. He jumped in surprise, dropping his towel as he darted around the corner._

_I think I actually heard Alice's heart stop. My lust was for Edward all the way, but I had seen enough in the last two minutes to develop a strong appreciation for Alice's taste. The man honestly did have one hell of a fine ass… strictly from a third-party standpoint, of course._

_Now that Jasper had disappeared, Emmett's attention would be falling on us again. I recovered quickly, knowing that Alice would need me to cover. I was already damned impressed that she didn't cross the room in two steps and jump Jasper._

_Our salvation came in the form of pizza. Emmett never failed to be distracted by food, and today was no exception. As soon as he dove for the stack of pizza boxes, I was dragging Alice from the room. When I pulled her safely into a bathroom, she was still blinking like an owl and muttering, "hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot.”_

I snickered as I came back to the present. We were experiencing a minor heatwave, and the temperatures were definitely uncomfortable. On the upside, we were being treated to regular viewings of shorts and tank tops. Today was already exceptionally uncomfortable, and Alice whimpered as Jasper decided that the lighter shirt was still too warm and stripped it off.

"Please explain to me again why we can't sample the goods!" Alice whined as she distractedly pointed to the beautiful half-naked man on stage. "I really want to lick that!"

To be fair, Alice wasn't in complete lust mode anymore, and neither was I. In the past, we had found that, while a lot of musicians were great people to hang out with, they weren't suitable for much more serious than that. Sometimes they enjoyed being pampered a little too much or their egos had outgrown them long ago. The other possibility was that they enjoyed the pleasures of the lifestyle a little too much. I remember watching more than one musician vomiting blood after a night of drinking, or disappearing into their bus with night after night with different women. I wasn’t going to judge what consenting adults did. As long as no one was being taken advantage of, I really didn’t care, but I wasn’t interested in those kinds of conquests.

The only thing that really did bother me was when sex was traded for access or when someone refused to back off (Lauren and Jessica came to mind here). No matter who was involved, everyone had the right to say no and have it be respected.

We liked how this group operated. Everyone was pretty decent. Band access was not given out for sexual favors, and the fans weren’t treated like pieces of meat. Sure they had fun, but everyone was on the same page. Edward had introduced us to Tanya earlier today as a close friend. Of course, I knew how close they were, considering I’d seen the kiss she greeted him with earlier that day. Tanya was funny, smart and didn’t hang off him like he was a prize. We’d got to talking, once Edward wandered off, and she was open about their relationship or lack thereof. When Edward was in town and had time, they got together and had some fun, that was the extent of it.

I didn’t have any right to be jealous, but it was hard. I'd found Edward to be playful, but not in a malicious way that some people seemed to mistake for entertaining. He was also intelligent and thoughtful, and much like me, he was introspective. I could be around him without the need to fill up the silence. He was intuitive about what people were thinking and could read a face in an instant.

Alice had no problem rattling off the ways that she found Jasper attractive. He was a voracious reader, and I'd often find the two of them discussing random topics over a hamburger or sushi. He was also unpredictable; she loved that. He was a fitness nut, which, besides providing added ogling opportunities, Alice was into as well. It's not that I didn't like to work out, but I didn't take it to the same level as her martial arts. She was still working up the courage to approach him and ask if he wanted to join her on her morning runs.

I shook my head at Alice. "I don't have to answer that. You know very well why there will be no licking or anything else."

She nodded sadly.

We were the only females working the tour, and compared to some of the women these guys saw, we were absolutely chaste. The rules we had made for ourselves were there for a reason, and we both knew it, even if it sucked at times. At least it kept us eligible for the next tour. Like any industry, music was a small world. It didn't take many mistakes to get you a bad reputation.

"Here," I said, looking at Alice's heartbroken expression as Jasper put his shirt back on and left the stage. I pulled a lollipop out of my bag and handed it to her, then took one for myself. "Suck on this. It'll make you feel better, work out some of that excess licking energy."

"Good idea," she said, helping me clean up my props of paperwork and pens in case anyone stumbled upon us.

"Do you want to go out front before we head to the bus? Maybe there some fans out there we can chat with," I asked while stuffing the last of the papers in my bag.

Alice nodded but groaned when we made it outside and saw that the front of the venue was deserted except for Lauren and Jessica.

I plastered a smile on my face and pulled out my best friendly voice. "Hey gals, you're here early."

They just huffed and turned their backs to us.

I shrugged at Alice, and we turned toward the buses. We both knew that we were past the point of redemption with the two women, not that this was a blow to our peace of mind.

We had slowly worked our way onto their shit-list over the past few shows. First was the incident at soundcheck when Alice had dragged them from Jasper and Edward. After that, we had continually come up with excuses to take the band away from them. I thought back to last night and the final nail in our coffins.

" _We're done here; I saw Lauren and Jessica stalking around earlier. You might want to do a headcount on the bus and make sure everyone is safe," Jacob said as he chuckled._

" _Okay, Alice, you go out front. I saw Jasper head that direction last. I'll go out back and see who's out there."_

_She nodded and walked quickly to the front door. As I made my way around the front of the bus, I heard Lauren's nasally voice._

" _Come on, Eddie, I know you want to."_

" _Lauren, really we're packing up and leaving tonight. I have to get on the bus and get ready to go."_

_"They'll wait for you, Eddie. They can't leave without you after all."_

_I could just picture Edward pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing in frustration. I knew he was too much of a gentleman to be upfront with her and put her in her place, but sometimes I wished he'd get over it. That wasn't Edward, though, so I decided to step in again._

" _Oh, Edward, there you are. I've been looking for you. Carlisle was just faxed that new contract a few hours ago. It's sitting inside, and I need you to look it over right away."_

" _Bella! Thank God… I've um, been waiting for that contract. It's critical."_

" _Yes, I know, so you should go read it right away. Sorry, Lauren."_

_Edward turned to leave without another word, and Lauren let out a noise of disgust. "You're not going to let her just order you around like that, are you?"_

_Edward just shrugged. "They know what we need to do. We trust them."_

_As Edward passed, she tried to slip her key in his pocket one final time. I bumped her arm, and she dropped it._

" _Oops, sorry, Lauren, I'm such a klutz. You dropped your key."_

_The smirk on Edward's face as he climbed into the safety of the bus was the only thanks I’d needed._

If looks could have killed, I would have been dead many times over that night. I laughed at the pleasant memory and turned my attention back to my sucker.

Alice proceeded to demonstrate various vulgar licking techniques on her spherical candy as we walked to our beautifully air-conditioned haven. I was almost in tears by the time we got near the buses.

"So you want anything particular for supper, or shall we just have the leftover salad in the fridge?" I asked her as we walked past the band bus, also sealed up and humming with the effort of producing livable temperatures.

"Ick, just salad. I can't eat in this heat. I almost wish I could walk around naked."

"I'll go to the store after the show and get us something cold to suck on. It'll help." I laughed.

We walked past the band bus and over to our own.

The show that night was as torturously hot and uncomfortable as we’d expected. I could only imagine how the band managed it. They were all soaked with sweat by the time they walked off stage and all anyone wanted to do was get back to the air-conditioned hotel for a shower.

Once we had both showered, eaten, and settled down for the evening, we quickly learned that Edward had the adjacent room. That and he’d probably not had a cold shower. The evidence of this was still _quite_ audible.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

"Alice, for the sake of my sanity, please stop staring at the wall," I begged as I fought to keep my mind on my work and maintain my calm. My only other alternatives were screaming or running from the room, and neither would end well.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

"I can't help it! Do you know how long they've been going at it? That man has stamina!" she said to me with wide eyes.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. "Oh god, Edward!"_

I gave up and threw myself on the bed, covering my head with a pillow. Alice looked over at me and laughed.

"Oh, come on, Bella. Look at it this way - it's a nice piece of knowledge to add to your collection. He obviously has skills."

"I think I preferred it when his skills were unconfirmed." The muffled thumping and moaning increased in speed and was joined with more prayer. "Well, at least she's religious," I deadpanned. "I should tell Esme not to book this hotel on the next tour, the walls are too thin."

We waited as the room next to ours fell silent. "Hey Alice, what's the weather like for the next couple of days?"

"Ummm…" Alice focused her attention on her laptop. "It'll be cloudy and rainy with a thunderstorm the day after tomorrow, probably."

"Of course, that's perfect." I'm sure my sarcasm was not lost on Alice.

"What's wrong, Bella?"

"Well, I figure that the next time I see Edward, I'm going to turn into a tomato. The only way I can think to counteract that is by getting a really wicked sunburn. It looks like the weather doesn't want to cooperate."

Alice collapsed on the bed in laughter. "Tell you what, I'll pretend to have just told you a filthy joke." When I asked her what joke, I really did blush, which she seemed to take pride in.

"That'll work," I mumbled into the pillow again.

-==\\\//==-

_Edward POV_

I peeled the guitar off and wiped it down. With a building this big and open, it didn't make sense to have air conditioning - it was that way with a lot of venues, but that didn't mean I was used to it. Jasper grabbed his shirt and put it back on as we left with Emmett for the dark, cool bus.

I sprawled out on the front couch as Emmett tried to interest one of us in some Grand Theft Auto in the back lounge.

"Too hot," I muttered as he disappeared while calling us fucking pussies. Emmett was always the height of eloquence.

I was lying silently, contemplating how excruciating the heat would be with thousands of people and all the lights. I figured Jasper was doing the same when Bella's distant laugh carried to us through a window that hadn't been closed completely when the air conditioning was turned on.

I looked over towards it and noticed that Jasper was trying to look very disinterested in the conversation that was drifting in the window.

"Ick, just salad. I can't eat in this heat. I almost wish I could just walk around naked," Alice said. Jasper choked, ruining his façade completely.

"I'll go to the store after the show and get us something cold to suck on. It'll help," Bella said, and I winced.

"That's not fair," I said simply.

"Tell me about it. What is it with the constant licking! Ice cream, lollipops, one night, I saw Alice molesting a fucking ice pop at the side of the stage, and my pants almost exploded. She may be trying to kill me, Edward."

"Yeah, that's it, master assassins sent to kill us both expertly trained in the art of… I'm not even going to finish that thought."

"Probably better that you don't."

"Maybe after the tour is over or something. It's too complex right now."

"I don’t think Bella’s up for the kind of casual thing you like, man. She strikes me as the relationship type," he said in an infuriatingly wise tone that meant I was probably going to hate the outcome of this discussion.

"I could be the relationship type!"

"Yeah, sure you are. You're meeting Tanya after the show tonight, right? You'll be taking her to your room for your standard 'catch-up' session?"

"She knows the deal, she’s not a one-night stand."

"And you saw Kate the night before last?"

"Same thing with her."

"And you saw Irina in Seattle?"

"What is your point, Jasper?"

"Doing stuff like that means you're not relationship material to girls like them."

I tried to come up with a good argument and drew a complete blank. Ignoring it would have to do. "I'm going in the back to kick Emmett's ass at GTA."

The next morning, I found myself waiting for Carlisle in the hotel lobby.

"So, how is Tanya?" Jasper asked when he sat down at my table with his coffee.

I gave him a non-committal shrug. The truth was that Tanya was fine; it was me that was screwed up. I enjoyed sex, I wasn’t ashamed of it. When my schedule allowed me the opportunity, I met up with old friends that had been in my life for years.

We were always upfront about what it was. I had no desire to string anyone along or break hearts. Relationships were hard on the road, and for years, I had been more focused on my music than anything else. When I hooked up with someone, it was for a fun night and nothing more. We both knew that there were no strings attached.

The problem was that recently, I couldn't keep my mind from wandering to Bella. Her warm brown eyes haunted me whenever I was away from them. She was commanding and confident in her job, but I also saw her be shy and reserved. She was a study in contradiction, and the mystery she represented gnawed at my mind.

It wasn't like me to become infatuated with someone. I told myself that my growing obsession would fizzle out with sufficient distraction, but Irina, Kate, and now Tanya had all failed to drive Bella from my thoughts.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Sorry, Jazz, my head is elsewhere." I sighed and swallowed another mouthful of coffee.

"I noticed. You want some advice?"

"No, but then you weren't actually asking were you?"

"Not really," he said with a wide smile. "Stop fighting it, Edward."

"Stop fighting what?" Jasper had a habit of being cryptic, but I really was lost this time.

He just smiled serenely at me.

"Speak of the devil." He nodded his head in the direction of the breakfast bar behind me.

I turned and saw Bella through the green leaves of a plant loading up on the extra-extra-large coffee. That was a lot of caffeine; she must have had a bad night. Between the lush tree and the pillar that separated us, she didn't know we were there. I turned back to Jasper, about to suggest we invite her over when Alice joined her.

"You look way too fucking chipper," Bella mumbled at her friend, echoing the sentiment I often had about Alice in the morning hours.

"Ohhh, Bella, you're in a nasty mood," she chirped back.

"Slept like crap."

"Really? That's funny. I thought you slept lots. I mean, I woke up in the middle of the night to 'Oh God, Edward' and the moaning, and I thought he was giving his guest an early morning show. Imagine my surprise when I found out that it was you worshipping at the church of Edward!"

I froze, and Jasper raised an eyebrow at me. Shit, they must have been in the next room, but Tanya wasn't that loud, was she? _Moron_ , I thought to myself; Clearly, she was. But Bella was dreaming about me? About _her_ and me? My head was swimming with new thoughts and possibilities. I really was torn at this point about letting them know we were there. The damage was already done, and it would just make them feel worse to find out that we’d overheard.

At least that's what I told myself.

"If your next sentence has anything to do with me on my knees, I will hurt you." There was a pause as I heard the rustling of sugar packets and Alice snickering. I saw Alice take a few steps from the coffee bar then pause to wait for Bella.

"You've had some pretty vivid dreams about Jasper yourself. Don't get all holier than thou on me," she hissed as she walked off after Alice.

"Oh, holiness has nothing to do with it, darlin'. At least it sounded like a good dream," Alice retorted with a wicked laugh.

"It was amazing," Bella said as she disappeared around the corner.

"Well…" said Jasper.

"Yeah…" was the only word my stunned mind managed to verbalize.

-==\\\//==-


	7. Bad Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.
> 
> Original betas for this chapter: VotreAmant and UslessEpiphany26

**Chapter Seven** **  
**Bad Day

_Alice POV_

"No, I didn't order the eight-pound paper for the cover. I ordered the _eighty-_ pound paper. Why, in the name of all that is holy would I want tracing paper for a cover? You're a printer, you tell me. Does anything about that order make any sense to you?"

" _No, it doesn't, but that's what the computer says."_

"Well, _obviously_ someone entered it into the computer incorrectly. You know what? You can't fix this, and I'm not going to argue with you about it. You need to put an immediate hold on the order, and your manager needs to call me back as soon as he's in."

" _Yes, ma'am. I'll do that right away."_

I hung up the phone and tried to take two deep breaths. "Incompetent- motherfucking-cocksucking-assholes!"

"Wow. Nice to see you too, Alice." Jasper climbed the stairs of our bus and sat on the couch.

"Hey, Jasper." I sighed dejectedly and fell onto the couch across from him. Even the sight of his heavenly body stretched out in front of me didn't make me feel better on this day from hell. _Maybe if he was naked…_

Bella came out from the back of the bus with a bottle of aspirin and a can of Coke. I was torn between annoyance at her for interrupting my mental undressing of Jasper and joy at seeing the pain relievers.

"Normally, I don't condone the consumption of sugar with caffeine in these quantities, but today you've earned it."

I took the pills and rubbed my temples, willing my headache to go away. "This week has been such a cluster-fuck."

Jasper started to laugh but stifled it quickly when I glared at him.

"This is not the bus of mirth. This is the bus of the damned, and it is filled with misery and torment. If you want to do that laughing shit, take it elsewhere."

Bella smiled sheepishly at Jasper. "When Alice is stressed, she channels the long-dead sailors that perfected the art of the filthy mouth. Your bleeding ears have probably alerted you to the fact that today is a _terrible_ day."

"What's going on?" he asked innocently.

Throwing my hands up in the air, I stomped back to the bunk area. I started rifling through my bag for my emergency chocolate stash. Unfortunately, I still heard every word of Bella's conversation with Jasper, reminding me of how the universe had suddenly revolted against us.

"Well, today it's the scrapbooks. Somewhere along the line, the order got totally mangled, and everything about it is wrong. They even have the wrong version of the artwork. They only printed about two hundred copies before someone contacted us, but they still think we're paying for them."

"Yeah, they're ass-munches too," I shouted with disgust.

"Yes, Alice, we know that they're ass-munches." Bella sighed and continued our tale of woe. "Anyway, Alice is sorting that out, but it's just been a crappy week. Besides the entire massive issue with the books, there have been problems with the computers. An entire batch of press kits we sent out seems to be MIA, and Alice and I are experiencing the creative equivalent of writer's block because of the stress. We just really need a break, and we're looking forward to the downtime in Kansas."

Jasper let out a low whistle. "Wow, sounds like you two have had a tough week."

"Alice is convinced that it's because of…"

I made my way to the door and smacked Bella on the back of her head. "Do _not_ say the names of those two skanky-ass bitches. We've talked about their bad mojo."

She took a deep breath and turned back to Jasper while rubbing her head. "Fine. We've had a few run-ins with _'_ They who shall not be named _'_ in the past week. I think they're under some insane delusion that we're the competition. Alice is convinced they're working some kind of bad luck voodoo or something."

"No, that is not what I said. I said that the mere presence of their fucked up brains and negative energy is causing us bad luck. You're the one who called it voodoo. Voodoo is very complex and would require them to learn something. I honestly don't think they have the brain cells to accomplish it."

Jasper nodded slowly. "Well, I wanted to check in with you two. Paul seemed a little concerned when he passed by this morning and heard you screaming random obscenities."

"They were not random, there was a powerful sentiment behind every single one," I informed him calmly.

"I'm definitely getting that, so I'm going to go back inside. I hope that you guys get this sorted out before it kills Alice. Let me know if I can do anything to help."

He disappeared at top speed. I took the liberty of watching his amazing ass every second until he went into the building. For the first time, I cursed his long legs because they ended the scene far too quickly. I sunk back into my foul mood. Absolutely everything was working against me today. I let out a growl of frustration and turned to Bella. "I've never been to Denver before, but I don't plan on ever coming back."

Bella came over and gave me a hug. "Aw, honey, you can't judge the whole city based on one bad day. We don't have to work soundcheck today. What do you say we get out of here for a short session of retail therapy?"

" _You're_ suggesting we go shopping? Have I been that bad?"

"Well, I think Jasper is a little scared of you now."

I moaned and lowered my head onto Bella's shoulder.

"Come on, I'm calling us a cab. Spending grotesque amounts of money always cheers you up."

"Seriously? You're going shopping with me voluntarily? The last time I tried to take you, you bribed a random fan to let you hide in their car."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. You need cheering up, and I would walk through the fires of hell to do it…or in this case, go shopping."

I cheered and hugged her again before running to my bunk. Recently, I had been using my black Givenchy Hobo handbag on the rare occasions that I needed one, but I was in the mood for something brighter today. After considering my choices for a moment, I dove into the spare bunk and dug out my white Louis Vuitton Multicolore Speedy. The colorful monograms were precisely what I needed on a dark day like today. Bella was already sighing impatiently in the front as I moved everything from one bag to the other.

"I don't suppose I can talk you into that 'fires of hell' thing. I hear it's good for the skin."

I chuckled darkly. Today was going to be fun, no matter what mood I was in. "No way, the offer has been made, and you're committed. Now let's go get me my fix!"

-==\\\//==-

_Jasper POV_

Edward called to me as we finished soundcheck, and I waited for him to catch up before continuing on to the dressing room sitting area.

"Have you seen the girls at all today? Bella looked like crap yesterday. I don't think she's sleeping well." The concern in Edward's voice was more than idle. I smiled to myself at his determination to downplay his interest in Bella.

"Yeah, I talked to them this morning, and Bella checked in with me before they left. She took Alice shopping."

"Oh. Wait… she did what?" Edward probably would have been less surprised if I told him Bella was carrying a litter of kittens to term.

"I know, I was shocked too, but they've had a rough week. I was talking to them this morning about it. I think Bella was trying to get Alice's mind off it."

"Wow. I knew they were close but for Bella to inflict that upon herself… that's pretty selfless."

We had all learned of Bella's and Alice's opposite attitudes towards shopping over the past couple of months. We'd witnessed Alice pleading with Bella to accompany her shopping many times. Bella had even been known to hide in our bus once or twice, so Alice couldn't track her down before she set out on a shopping trip of epic proportions. That had stopped the day Alice knocked on our door and demanded we produce Bella, or she would take one of us with her instead. Of course, Emmett planted a kicking and screaming Bella outside the bus within minutes. We liked her, but there was a limit to the sacrifices we'd make.

I snorted but was instantly drawn to the distant sound of someone yelling furiously outside. Edward shot me a puzzled glance, and we made our way to the back of the venue. Most of the crew were standing by the partially open doors and taking advantage of the shadows to watch the spectacle unseen. As we approached, Carlisle gave us an amused smile.

There was a small gathering of fans by the bus. In the middle of the group, Alice was shrieking at a petrified looking Lauren and Jessica. Bella had a hand on Alice to restrain her, but she wasn't putting a whole lot of effort into it. We were obviously joining an argument that was in progress.

"…Neither of you has fucked any of the band members or the crew. I know this because when Emmett's girlfriend told you to stay away from him, you both almost pissed your fucking pants. Jasper and Edward have done their best to be nice to you, but since you can't help but throw yourselves at them even after they’ve asked you to back off, they're both avoiding you now. As for the crew, they're all way too attached to their private parts to risk putting them anywhere near you two. It would probably be healthier for them to go to a local junkie and get some used needles to stick directly into their dicks."

I heard a few sharp intakes of breath and look around to see most of the crew wincing. I also noticed that Sam had his phone out and was recording the altercation. He noticed my glance and mouthed back "for Emily."

I chuckled and turned my attention back to Alice as her voice got even more venomous. "Listen to me you pushy-ass liars, no one wants you here. The crew spends half of the day just trying to avoid you and your vomit-inducing offers. You're both nothing but damned nuisances. The day before yesterday, when you offered Sam a blow job for backstage passes pretty much sealed your fate. The girl you pushed aside to make that offer was his fiancé, and even the fact that she's quite visibly pregnant didn't stop you. Let's just say no one was impressed. I know you two aren't exactly observant, but that was a new low even for you."

Lauren's expression became more furious as she looked at the growing crowd with embarrassment. "Who do you think you-"

Alice cut her off. "As far as you're concerned, I may as well be God. Bella and I are in charge of all the access to the band. If you want to see them, it goes through us, and so far… well, you haven’t done yourselves any favors. Stop chasing anything with a penis, because it's not going to help you. As of now, you are 'persona non grata' at all shows and events. That means you're not welcome anywhere near the band, the crew, or the buses. I don't care if you win a contest, or happen to parachute into Jaspers lap, I will call security and have them on your ass so fast that even _you_ would be shocked. And believe me when I tell you that if security isn't available, I'll be more than happy to kick your fucking asses to the curb myself."

I suddenly felt the need to adjust my pants. "Good God, I think that's possibly the hottest thing I've ever seen." A few low chuckles came from the men around me.

Alice turned her back on the blondes and stomped toward the venue as the watching crowd burst into scattered laughter. Bella followed her friend while suppressing a smile.

Alice threw the door open and froze as she saw us gathered inside. Her eyes quickly found Carlisle and her face filled with regret.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle. I know I overstepped there, but they were just getting so out of control…"

Our manager started the applause, and the rest of us joined in. Jacob and Sam bowed a couple of times, chanting, "We're not worthy!"

Bella and Alice burst out laughing. When Lauren and Jessica heard the applause through the open door, they stormed off through the crowd.

Carlisle quieted us down. "Alice, you've just saved me from a very unpleasant conversation. I may have left out some of your more… colorful phrasing, but other than that, it all needed to be said. Don't worry about it. Besides, it was quite entertaining."

"What brought that on, anyway?" Edward asked.

A look of disgust crept across Alice's face. "They had the nerve to try and ruin my shopping high. We dropped our bags off in the bus, and by the time we came back out, they were waiting with the other fans. We've tried really hard to go out of our way and be nice to them all week, but when we heard the stories they were telling out there, I kinda lost it."

"Kinda?" Bella laughed.

"Okay, so I lost it completely, but you should have heard what they were saying… well no, it's probably better that you didn't. Let's just say they were sharing some very graphic stories about their time spent with all of you."

I suppressed the need to vomit at that thought. With the way the others groaned, I wasn’t the only one.

"Well, Alice, I honestly didn't think that I'd ever say these words, let alone to a woman, but thank you for defending my honor." I did a quick curtsey, and the crew laughed again.

Alice snorted and left for production. The rest of the guys drifted away until Edward, Bella, and I were the only ones left at the door. Bella was still staring after Alice when Edward spoke.

"Bella? Are you sleeping at all? You look like crap."

"Huh? Oh. Sorry, yeah, I'm just stressed. It's been a long week. Way to boost my confidence, though!"

I laughed as she punched him in the arm and headed down the hall. Edward's eyes followed her until she was entirely out of sight.

"You've got it bad."

" _I've_ got it bad? Okay, Mr. _'that's possibly the hottest thing I've ever seen.'_ "

I grunted and wandered over to the stage area to find Sam.

"Hey Sam, could I uh…"

"Yeah, I know you want a copy of the video. You and everyone else. They all want to send it to their girlfriends. Even Carlisle wants to send it to Esme. He doesn't think she'll believe what Alice did. I'm gonna borrow his laptop now and download it. I'll mail it out to everyone as soon as I do. I can't wait for Emily to see it. She was so upset the other day." The laughter on Sam's face quickly gave way to anger, and he stalked off to production.

I found my way to the dressing room and stretched out on the couch. I couldn't deny the fact that I was developing a fascination with Alice any more than Edward could deny his interest in Bella. I just couldn't help the feeling that there was a part of her that I wasn't getting to see. It wasn't that I felt they were hiding something, they were just very adept at steering conversations away from their personal lives. Even their common likes and dislikes were a mystery to me. It seemed that beyond their jobs, I knew hardly anything about either of them.

It was about five o'clock when supper arrived. The dressing room filled up with hungry men laughing over the day’s events. Lauren and Jessica had been a thorn in everyone's side, and we were all happy at the possibility of them leaving us alone.

Bella joined us about twenty minutes later. She was putting effort into acting normal, but I had always been good at reading people, and I saw the worry in her eyes. I expected that the blow-up in the parking lot would have let off a little steam, but oddly it seemed to have the opposite effect. Edward noticed it too, and he was trying to engage her rather than letting her blend into the background.

I abandoned my meal and decided to go in search of Alice. If Bella was the one choosing to be social while the ever happy Alice was nowhere to be seen, something was definitely off. I didn't fail to notice Bella's worried glance following me out of the room. I was going to start my search on the buses, but as I passed production, I saw her. She was sitting at a table, facing the wall with her laptop open in front of her.

"Alice! There you are. You're missing supper. Sam and Jacob are inhaling it as we speak. You better get in there if you want some."

She jumped when I said her name but didn't turn around. She took a deep breath before answering. "That's okay, Jasper, I have some stuff to finish up here. Bella will save some for me. I'll join you there in a bit."

Her voice was quiet, but it sounded shaky and flat, not at all like the Alice I had known for months.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yep, everything's just peachy!" Alice was unfailingly upbeat, but I had never heard forced cheeriness from her. Something about it made my stomach knot up.

"What's wrong?"

She didn't answer me, so I grabbed Carlisle's chair and dragged it over to her before sitting down. "Alice?"

"Nothing is wrong, Jasper. At least nothing that matters or that can be fixed or changed." This time I heard the tears in her voice, and I leaned in to see her face.

The tears streaking down her cheeks seemed so foreign, so wrong that it shocked me. I felt the sudden need to move heaven and earth to fix whatever it was that made her cry. I moved on instinct and did the only thing I could think of to help. I reached over and wrapped my arms around her.

Even though she was upset, the feeling of having her in my arms was so right. She completed something in me that I didn't know was missing. Having her in my arms was perfect; it was home. The feeling of contentment stunned me for a moment; I barely noticed her pulling away until I suddenly felt empty.

"I'm sorry. I feel like an idiot." She wiped at her wet cheeks.

"Hey, now, I won't have any of that. Will you please tell me what's wrong?"

"It's honestly stupid and pointless."

"And yet, I'm still not leaving you alone until I hear about it."

She sighed. "Well, you've already been clued in on the long stressful week portion. Today was just the icing on the cake, I guess. I lost it with Lauren and Jess…"

I cut her off. "Alice, no one blames you for that at all. Even Carlisle said they deserved it."

"Regardless, it was unprofessional. It wasn't my place to talk to them like that or to ban them from the shows. I did it in front of everyone I work with and in front of fans. It's not something I'm proud of, no matter how much they deserved it. Now it seems I'll never be able to live it down." She pointed to her computer, where an email from Esme was open. I scanned it, Esme was nothing but supportive of Alice and her actions. In fact, she seemed downright proud. The video was also open and paused about halfway through.

I could understand where she was coming from. One thing I had learned about these two is that they put a lot of effort into being consummate professionals. Alice equated her performance this afternoon to failure on that front.

"Okay, I get that. I really do, but you have to understand something too. What's the longest tour you guys have ever done?"

She looked confused for a moment before answering. "Six weeks, give or take."

"Right, and how long have we been on the road now?"

"I dunno, two months or so?"

"That sounds about right. So for two months, we've all been together constantly. Day in and day out, we're all living together. You cannot be 'on' all the time on a tour like this. People argue and fight, we get annoyed with each other. We get stressed out and do stupid things, especially if we don’t decompress when we need to.

"Even Emmett, Edward, and I don't have to be camera-ready all the time. We have interviews and shows, of course, but we have a lot of downtime where we just get to be ourselves and not worry about appearances. I don't think that you've let yourself have that. Even when you two aren't actively working, you're carefully editing yourself for the crew and us. It's bound to take its toll, Alice.

"I get that you want to do the job and do it well and whatever other mantras you're repeating in your head, but you can't be perfect twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for six months."

"So, in short, you're saying..."

"Shit happens."

She laughed, and I smiled as the sound washed over me. "Wow, that's your big philosophical statement? Shit happens?"

"It's gotten me this far."

"Thanks, Jasper."

"Anytime, you know, if you and Bella didn't let yourselves get so wound up in the first place, you probably wouldn't have needed a breakdown. Less work! More play!"

"You make a terrible boss, you know that?"

"But a fun one."

"Indeed." She shot me a wicked grin that made my stomach knot up in an entirely different way than her tears. "Go eat your dinner. I'm not going to be responsible for you passing out during the show because of low blood sugar. I'll be there in a few minutes."

-==\\\//==-

_Bella POV_

I bolted upright as my eyes darted around the room. The shout of insults and accusations still echoed in my head. Everything slowly came into focus, and my surroundings became familiar again. Alice and I dealt with stress very differently. As the entire crew had experienced today, she got moody and swore like a sailor, whereas my nightmares came back. They had been bothering me all week. Usually, Alice would have picked up on it by now, but she was so caught up doing damage control with the printers that she wasn't her observant self.

Even if she had noticed, there was nothing she could do about it. She would just worry and try to watch me more closely. I was well aware that we both had enough on our plates already, so I was perfectly happy not being another source of stress for her.

The way that Alice had blown up at Lauren and Jessica was proof of how overworked she was. I stifled a giggle at the memory. She had tried to apologize to Carlisle three more times before he told her that he'd fire her for apologizing if she didn't stop. She just felt awful for losing her cool.

The sound of Alice's even breathing filled the quiet hotel room. After punching my pillow into shape, I stretched back out in bed. Thirty minutes later, I was still tossing and decided to accept that sleep was a pointless effort at the moment.

I grabbed my pile of clothes from the floor and padded silently to the bathroom. Even if it was two-thirty in the morning, I didn't want to get dressed in the dark and end up walking around the hotel with my shirt inside out and backward.

Checking that the keycard was still in my pocket, I made my way from the room silently. I was in the elevator before I realized I didn't bring my laptop with me for something to do. I knew there was no chance of getting back in the room and getting my computer without waking Alice, so I decided to wander around instead.

I was passing the closed restaurant when I heard the piano. I stopped and closed my eyes as the muted notes of Chopin's _Prelude Number Four_ washed over me. Classical music relaxed me, I often used it for background when I worked. The piece was perfect for my darker mindset at the moment. I felt drawn to the sound and stood in the hall, debating about sneaking into the restaurant.

I approached the door and saw that it had been propped open to allow the player access. As the light notes of _Clair de Lune_ filled the air, my mind was made up. I knew I needed to hear more, so I slipped inside the room and pressed myself against the wall.

The room was dark except for soft lights that illuminated the raised platform with the grand piano. I had never learned to play, but even I admired the beauty of the instrument when we had eaten here earlier in the day. I was so taken with the divine music, I almost failed to notice the musician.

It didn't surprise me to see Edward sitting on the bench in front of the piano. Somehow, from the first note, I heard in the hallway, I knew it was him. I watched intently as his hands floated softly over the keys. His eyes were closed, and his face serene. Although he was dressed in grey sweats and a ratty t-shirt, I'd never seen him look more breathtaking. I watched as his fingers caressed the keys for the final notes of the song.

The next piece he played was Moonlight Sonata. I sighed and leaned my head back against the wall. There was no way he’d heard me over the heavy bass notes, but the music stopped, and he turned in my direction. My heart started pounding in my chest. I suddenly felt like an intruder on a private moment. It was dark where I was standing, so I was reasonably sure that he couldn't make me out, but he continued to stare right at me.

"Sorry, I was wandering, and the music drew me in. I didn't mean to intrude."

"Bella?"

My voice tried to abandon me, but I still managed to squeak out a yes.

"What are you doing hiding back there? Come up here."

I took a moment to remember how to move my legs and walked toward him. "I really am sorry, I honestly didn't mean to interrupt… I just couldn't resist."

Edward laughed softly. "You're not interrupting, but what are you doing up? Jasper told me that you guys had a conference call early tomorrow about the printer debacle."

"Technically, that call would be later today. I just couldn't sleep. I thought I'd wander around a bit to wear myself out."

Edward patted the bench beside him. "Sit down." He turned back to the piano and played idly. "That was my plan too, but then I remembered that I saw this earlier tonight. I managed to talk the kind woman at the front desk into opening the door for me."

I sat down on the bench and reveled in the heat of his body next to me. "Something tells me that you're very good at talking women into things." A bright blush filled my face as I realized the double meaning to my statement.

He chuckled softly and continued to pick out a melody on the keys. "I only use my powers for good, don't worry."

"Like rescuing kittens from trees and talking concierges into opening restaurants?"

"Precisely." A crooked smile graced his face. "If you ever lose a kitten or need a midnight snack, I'm your man."

We were quiet again while he played. The movement of his hands mesmerized me. He shifted to reach the higher notes, and our hips pressed together. My gaze drifted up his arms to his face. His eyes were closed again, and his head was tilted back. His mouth was slightly parted, and I found myself staring as his lips as the piece ended.

He turned to me, and I was pierced by the brilliant green depths yet again. I gave myself a mental shake and reminded myself that staring at him while he was looking at me did _not_ fall under the category of subtle.

"So... what's keeping you up?" If I was speaking to him, it gave me a perfect excuse to look at him.

He smirked. "Nothing serious, I needed to make a decision… if I wanted to pursue something or not. I didn't really expect to make any headway on the problem tonight, but it seems that the answer found me anyway."

"Oh…that’s not confusing at all." The convoluted meaning to his statement eluded me, but he didn't seem to want to offer any clarification, so I moved on to another topic. "What's your favorite piece to play?"

"There are a lot of them. Do you have a favorite?"

"You were playing it when you saw me."

He smiled and started playing Moonlight Sonata again. He continued to watch me as he played, but I found his intense gaze difficult to meet. I lowered my head and watched his elegant fingers play. I tried to concentrate on the sound of the music rather than the man sitting next to me, but it was difficult. He finished the song and paused thoughtfully before speaking.

"I didn't see you, you know. I just knew you were there somehow. It was like I could feel you there or something. It was strange. Sorry, I'm not making much sense, I'm too tired."

"No, I know what you mean." I had felt the same thing when I knew that it was Edward playing before I had entered the room. I felt suddenly exposed, and my mind grasped for a topic change.

"Would you like to go grab a drink?" Edward asked. Maybe he sensed the tension as well.

I checked my watch and was surprised to see it was already past three. "I should probably give sleep another try, but a drink first sounds good."

He nodded and stood up from the bench, motioning for me to go first. We headed back through the lobby, where Edward thanked the woman at the desk before we proceeded into the restaurant.

He went to the bar to order something with alcohol, but I hunted down some herbal tea before settling into the booth Edward had chosen. "You know alcohol won't help you sleep. Well, it will help put you to sleep, but the quality of your sleep will be less."

"Is that so?"

"Yep, studies show that alcohol consumed directly before sleep can result in disruptions to the second half of the sleep cycle." _Way to spew random facts at him, Bella!_ I shouted at myself.

"Reading sleep studies is a hobby of yours, is it?"

"Not really, I've just done a lot of research over the years. Practical knowledge and all that."

"So, sleepless nights aren't new to you then?"

"I've had my share of them," I said evasively. The last thing I wanted to talk about right now was my nightmares.

"So…" I decided to attempt a topic change and get the focus away from me. "I've read all the label biographies on you and the band, but I had no idea that you were classically trained. I mean, I know you guys write your own stuff, and it's obvious that you know your way around the technical aspects of music… Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. You play wonderfully," I ended lamely.

He smiled. "Thank you. I've actually been playing since I was very young. My mother played, and when I showed an interest, she started teaching me. Music helped me to keep my sanity over the years. There's something about being able to pour your soul into playing, whether you're ecstatic or depressed. I've always found it very cathartic.

"Even to this day, something will move me, and I have to play to get it out. Otherwise, it'll just sit in my head and eat away at me."

"Ah, so that's why you seek out the piano when you're decision making."

"Exactly," his smile widened, and I felt my heart melt. "What about you, is work your outlet?"

"I don't know about that. I mean, I love my work. When I'm into a project that I love, I get into this mindset where everything flows and falls into place. It's almost like an adrenalin rush when everything is going well. But as far as outlets go, mine is probably Alice; we talk about everything.

"She knows me very well, better than I know myself sometimes. And she has a way of pulling problems out of me and getting me to talk about things when I'm trying to bury or hide them." I felt myself blush as I realized we were working our way around to my problems again. I wondered if he was doing this on purpose.

"That makes sense, but when she's stressed out like she is now, she must be less in-tune with you. Not to mention that she's busy so she would have less time to spend on things like that. So you took her shopping today to help her de-stress, but what did you do for yourself?"

Damn, he was perceptive. I made a production of removing my tea bag and adding some honey to my tea while I thought about how to answer his question.

"Well, I think Alice's performance in the parking lot today was stress relief for both of us." I chuckled and watched his reaction.

I saw the disapproval creep across his face, but it was quickly replaced with a smile. "Are you looking forward to the start of the festival shows next week?"

We were finally heading into a handful of dates that were summer festivals. They were enjoyable, not only because they had lots of local food and vendors, but they also had a lot of different bands. It was like an all-day party. Alice and I always enjoyed the atmosphere.

"Yeah! Alice is already gushing about the daylight and all the photographic possibilities it presents. You guys are pretty active on stage, and if we don't have to time our shots around your light show, we can get new stuff. Esme has high hopes that we can get lots of material for promo use, so make sure you look pretty."

"I make no promises, but I'll see what I can do," he said with a raised eyebrow.

I was starting to feel myself get tired again, which was a dangerous thing around Edward. I always found his presence intoxicating, but now with the laughs and smiles he was giving me, I was smitten. I needed to get to the safety of my room before I said something I regretted.

"Well, I think it's time for me to give sleep another try. Alice will be less than impressed if I pass out during our call. Plus, I need to be on the ball in case she sets out to kill anyone."

Edward chuckled as I stood up.

"You think I'm joking. She's dangerous when she's mad. Ok, goodnight, Edward. Thanks for keeping me company."

"Same to you. Good night," he said with a small bow of his head. He stood as I left the table.

As I left the restaurant, I glanced back and saw him watching me with a crooked grin. I waved at him a final time and walked into an open elevator. Impressively, when I got to my room, I managed to get the door open, undress, and get under the covers without waking Alice. I was still smiling as I drifted off to sleep.

-==\\\//==-


	8. Mistakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.  
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.  
> Original betas for this chapter: Lulu M and LouderThanSirens

**Chapter Eight**  
Mistakes

_Bella POV_

I rolled out of bed, literally. It was the easiest way to get out of the coffins the rest of the crew liked to refer to as bunks. After all this time on the road, sleeping on the bus was starting to get a little old. Thank god we got to sleep in hotels most nights. I groaned and called to Alice, poking her through her privacy curtain.

"We've stopped moving. We must be here."

"Shower," was all that I heard from the other bunk. I grunted in response.

After making ourselves presentable enough to not send strangers running in terror, we staggered from the bus. We hissed at the ball of fire in the sky and made a beeline for the venue. As our vision adjusted to the light level inside, we spotted Emmett and Carlisle standing in the middle of the large empty room, looking over some paperwork. Alice was still muttering a string of curse words and complaints about the brightness of the sun as we approached, causing them to look up.

They tried to hide it, but I saw the laughter cross their faces as they took in our fresh-from-sleep look. They were brave men, or perhaps just very stupid. I glared at them, and Emmett cleared his throat, dropping his eyes back to the paperwork in front of him.

"Carlisle," I said, somehow managing to form syllables through the cotton in my mouth. "Where can we shower?"

"Is that a trick question?" he asked with mock seriousness.

"Carlisle," I said as I narrow my eyes. "We have been traveling on a bus for two days straight, we just woke up, and we haven't had caffeine yet. You're going to want to consider the next words out of your mouth very, very carefully."

I swore I saw the corner of his mouth pull up, but I let it pass. "In the dressing room, you can use that one."

"Thank you." I turned with Alice toward the beacon of hot water and cleanliness.

"There's only one, though. You'll have to take turns," he called distractedly, his mind back on whatever he and Emmett were looking at.

"Maybe…" Alice trilled as she sauntered on toward the back of the building.

How she sauntered in sweats, I'll never know, but she pulled it off. I saw both men's jaws open slightly before they recovered. I managed to hold off high fiving her till we were out of sight. It was times like this that I remembered I was still in training with a master of the art of smart ass.

Alice lost the coin flip, so I was waiting for her to finish her shower as I dried my hair. Eventually, I wandered out behind the stage, I saw Alice approach and brought my finger to my lips before pointing up to the stage. Technically, I wasn't eavesdropping; at least I didn't start out with that intention.

The reasonable part of my brain tried to tell me that 'I was here first' didn't really cut it as far as excuses go, and that standing here listening to their conversation was the textbook definition of eavesdropping. I told it to shut up and sipped my coffee as Emmett's voice came closer.

"Then she walked away all sexy-like saying, ' _maybe._ '"

"They were fucking with you again, Emmett," Jasper said as Edward snorted and rifled through a guitar case.

"Whatever, man, it was hot as fuck. Speaking of hot as fuck, this is Charlotte's town, isn't it? Are you hooking up with her tonight, Eddie?" Emmett said. I heard him settle in behind his kit as Jasper laughed.

"Haven't you noticed, Emmett? Edward hasn't seen any of his old flames in a while. He's found someone else that's caught his attention. No more distractions for him." The sound of Jasper's voice made his grin clear.

Edward muttered, but I managed to make out, "both of you just shut the fuck up."

When it was quiet for a minute, I started walking toward the front of house and shouted to Alice, "…So I think you should get some more black and white film on your next run to the store. We have a couple more festivals coming up, and the shots from the last one came out amazing. We might as well take advantage of the natural lighting again."

Alice nodded and took a gulp of coffee.

"Good afternoon, Alice, Bella," Jasper said with a nod of his head.

"Oh, hey, guys." Alice looked up with an expression of surprise on her face. I took a moment to fully appreciate her acting ability and made a mental note to never play poker with her.

Emmett looked up with a shit-eating grin. "Did you two enjoy your shower?"

I noted the use of the singular, 'shower' and smiled.

"Oh yeah. It was fan-fucking-tastic. There's nothing like a hot, wet, shower to really burn off built-up tension, you know," Alice trilled as she turned to me with a wide smile.

I tried not to burst out laughing and ruin the moment, but one look at Emmett, and I lost it. Everyone else followed suit.

Jasper jumped off the stage and approached us. "Are you guys coming to Pete's tonight?" he asked, but he was definitely only looking at Alice. I grinned as Alice met his gaze unabashedly. It wasn't quite an eye fuck, but it was close.

"Pete's?" I asked.

"It's a local bar that a friend of ours owns. It's a good place, good drinks, and very down to earth. I bet you'd like it, Bella."

Alice smiled as I opened my mouth.

"Oh definitely, thanks for the heads up!" she said before I had a chance to speak. She waved to the guys on stage and bounced off.

I caught up to her and huffed, "You don't always have to speak for me. I'm not a complete workaholic, you know. Maybe I actually wanted to go tonight."

Alice stopped and looked at me in shock before she was overcome with laughter.

"It wasn't _that_ funny, Alice." I turned my back to her in annoyance and started walking.

We had made it back to the bus just as she was starting to get control of herself. "Well, if you wanted to go anyway, there's no problem with me accepting is there?" she said with infuriating logic.

I muttered and wandered off to the back room of the bus.

-==\\\//==-

_Edward POV_

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. I had to deal with a phone call from New York."

Taking a seat at the end of the table, I looked over the group. I was at least an hour late to the bar, and drinking was already well underway. The empty bottles and shot glasses were piling up around Sam and Jacob. Every time the waitress tried to take them away, she got shooed off while the men muttered about her trying to take away their hard-earned trophies. Alice, Carlisle, and Jasper were playing quarters, and Bella was watching them. She couldn't stop laughing as the two men kept missing and drinking, and consequently missing worse and drinking more.

Alice had obviously managed to drag Bella along for the night out, and I was happy to see her relaxed and having fun. She had a sizeable fruity drink in front of her that I assumed to be something non-alcoholic. Alice and Bella usually came out and had a lot of fun with us, but in the months that they’d been with us, I'd never seen them close to drunk. Alice had a full shot glass, but at the rate that Carlisle and Jasper were going, she was never going to drink it.

I ordered my usual and watched Bella across the table. She absolutely enthralled me. When she laughed, the sound was like music. Her warm brown eyes sparkled and danced, and she was flushed ever so slightly. She looked up at me and smiled. My gaze settled on her full lips as she licked them slightly. I traveled up her face, back to the deep chocolate brown eyes that were still haunting my thoughts. We locked eyes, and I felt a pleasant shiver of electricity run through my body. I couldn't turn away.

Jasper jumped up, shouting triumphantly and slapped me on the back. "Ha!"

"Very good, Jasper," Alice said in a voice that would have been appropriate for potty training a three-year-old. "It only took you three shots to get there too."

"There's definitely something wrong with this quarter. Normally, I'm very good at this," Jasper slurred.

Carlisle snorted, and Bella looked away quickly as she stifled her laughter. I shook my head slightly, trying to clear the haze that seemed to settle on my brain whenever I was around Bella.

"What the hell?" Jasper continued. "Where did you get this, Alice? No wonder my aim is all off. This is a Canadian quarter! The composition is totally different."

Alice shook her head and took the quarter from and made a perfect bounce, landing it perfectly in the glass. The table ordered another round, and we broke into conversation. I had never seen Bella so animated and engaged before. Usually, she was perfectly happy to listen and passively take part in an evening of fun. It never bothered me; I was a relatively low key person myself. Watching other people have fun and make fools of themselves while drunk was very entertaining. I rarely felt the need to be the one dancing on the table.

The only thing that bothered me about Bella's shyness was that it was hard to learn anything about her. Of course, I knew the things I saw every day. How she worked, how she related to us, and Alice, but it was hard to get her to talk about anything other than work. I found myself wanting to know what she thought about, her opinions, what she liked, hated, and why. I wanted to know if she had good parents and if she was close to her family. In these simple ways, the woman was a complete stranger to me.

I started paying attention to the conversation again as Bella continued a tale about Alice's brief affair with the dramatic arts in university.

"So, when we got back from the weekend we saw Phantom of The Opera in New York, Alice was suddenly infatuated with live theatre. I tried to talk her out of pursuing it because I knew she'd hate it. Alice does not do well with structured creativity." Bella shot a look at Alice, who stuck out her tongue.

"I don't know how she did it, considering she wasn't enrolled in the program, but she got into a drama class and ended up with the most pretentious asshole for a professor. I'm not making that up, that's actually what other teachers said about him.

"I'm sure you can imagine how Alice and a person like that would clash. The professor ended up retiring that year. I think it was mostly because on opening night, Alice sang her song with… new and improved lyrics."

Bella proceeded to sing the piece, complete with the lyrics Alice had rewritten. They were downright vulgar but very, very funny.

Alice was laughing so hard she was turning red. Eventually, she caught her breath. "Bella, what the hell are you drinking?"

"Hurricanes!" she said proudly. "Jacob suggested them. They're the local specialty, apparently, and they're fantastic. They don't even taste like alcohol."

I groaned and pointed at her glass. "You mean that's not virgin?"

"Why Edward, that's a rather forward question. Usually, a guy takes me out on a date or two before we start talking about that kind of thing," she said thoughtfully, and then burst out laughing.

"Bella, you're a lightweight, and those things are going to put you flat on your ass. How many have you had?"

"This is my…second, no third!" She held up four fingers.

I shook my head. "You need to come with me before someone has to carry you home. It's time for you to go to bed."

"Oooh," she said, jumping into my lap and throwing her arms around my neck. "Are you coming with me then?"

"Bella!" Alice said, suddenly serious.

"Relax, Alice. I'm joking. Edward is a gentleman. He wouldn't take advantage of a situation like this," she said as she planted a kiss on my cheek.

I shook my head, wondering which god arranged this and if it was a punishment or a reward. I should have encouraged Alice to go with Bella, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Stay here, Alice. It's okay. Jasper needs to win back his honor. I'll make sure she gets back to your room safely." Jasper scowled at me, and Alice looked like staying was going against her better judgment.

I walked out of the bar with Bella. The night was warm, but not uncomfortable. There had been a light rain while we were inside, and the air was fresh and crisp. Bella laughed and twirled around with her arms out as we walked. I jogged a couple steps to catch her when she stumbled as I knew she would.

Bella giggled and smiled brilliantly at me before tucking herself under my arm and snuggling into my side.

"I really like hurricanes," she said happily.

I chucked and shook my head. "Something tells me that you aren't going to be such a big fan in the morning."

She poked me in the side. "Edward Masen, don't you dare rain on my wonderful mood."

"Yes, drunkenness can do that. You certainly seem to be a happy drunk. You're beautiful too. I might have to keep up a constant stream of mildly dirty jokes to keep you that color when you're sober." Even as the words left my mouth, I regretted it. Not because it wasn't right, but because Bella was in no condition for me to be telling her how exquisite I thought she was.

I heard her giggle again, and she put her arms around my waist. "You're not so bad yourself, you know."

I let myself enjoy the feeling of her pressed into me as we walked the rest of the way to the hotel. I looked down at her as we waited for the elevator and watched her bite at her lip. She was driving me insane, and she wasn't even trying. If she put even the slightest effort into seduction, she would be a very dangerous creature.

Bella stepped back and looked at me thoughtfully as the elevator doors closed. Something wicked played across her face as she took a step closer to me, bringing her chest close enough to almost touch me.

"You know, Edward, I've always thought you were very handsome." She bit her lip again and trailed a finger from my waist up to my chest. I felt every muscle in my body tense as I gasped. Bella licked her lips lusciously. "I've thought about kissing you so many times…" She moved up on her toes, pressing herself fully against me. Her arm settled on the back of my neck, encouraging me to lower my lips so that she could reach them. My body was on fire from the contact. I was leaning down to meet her, even as my brain screamed warnings at me.

The elevator dinged, and the door opened. _Saved by the bell,_ I thought as I shook myself. "Bella, this is our floor. Come on." I fought to keep my voice even as I regained my will. A whine of disappointment escaped her lips. The sound was so sexy that I almost picked her up and ran to my room.

"And here I thought you were so good at pleasing women, Edward," she said as the dangerously playful edge came back to her voice.

"Bella, I swear that if you weren't drunk, you would be in my room right now, screaming my name." I laughed and hoped that verbal banter would be enough to placate her. My pants became uncomfortable as I thought of all the things I'd like to do to make her scream my name. This was a horrible time for me to lose control of my dick.

We reached her room, and she put her back to the wall, leaning tantalizingly again. Jesus, when had she become such a sexpot?

"Bella, where's your key?"

"In my pocket," she purred at me. She fucking purred!

I took a deep breath and calmed myself yet again. "Can you give it to me, please?"

"Oh, I could, but wouldn't you rather do it?" I looked down at her tight jeans and begged to any deity that happened to be listening to give me strength.

"That could be fun, but let's save it for another night. Get your key for me, please."

She pouted and pulled out her key. Then, she ran her hand down my arm softly. "You know I was only joking with Alice, right? I would be quite happy to have you take advantage of me, Edward."

I didn't answer her; I just slid the key card in the door and pulled her inside the room. "Okay, time for you to get to bed. Take your shoes off."

I turned back to her. Her eyes were filled with lust as she stared at me and slowly licked her bottom lip. Everything she did showed how much she wanted me. The conflict between what my body wanted and what my mind knew I needed to do reached a painful level.

"Edward, please..." Her voice was low and seductive, but it was still filled with need. It was the final blow to my self-control.

She must have seen the change because she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me. Running her hands up my back, she sighed softly as her hands reached my head and ran through my hair. I pushed the door closed behind her, and then pressed her into it. My hands settled on her cheeks, and my forehead rested on hers.

"We shouldn’t do this now, Bella." I panted, praying that she would finally tell me to stop.

She shook her head slightly before pulling my head down until our lips met. My hands pressed against the door as I leaned in and kissed her gently, but that wasn't what Bella wanted. She let out a sigh of frustration and bit at my lips. I groaned and pressed her harder against the door. I knew I was losing control, but I couldn't seem to care at that moment. I gave in and opened my mouth, kissing her roughly. She met me every step of the way as our tongues danced. Bella thrust her hips into mine and moaned again.

I moved my hands from the door and ran them slowly down her shoulders, grazing the sides of her breasts. She shuddered, and I continued, moving down slowly over her waist and hips to her thighs. I grabbed her legs and pulled them up around my hips.

"Oh, Edward." I kissed down her neck while grinding myself into her.

"Bella…" I said, panting again, fighting my own alcohol-induced haze. I looked into her eyes and saw the fire in them. She was beyond caring what I did to her, and my throbbing erection had no problem with that. Finally, my head cleared enough to stop us both from making a mistake. She meant more to me than this. I had never settled for anything less than enthusiastic consent, and Bella was in no condition to give that to me now. I closed my eyes and tried to regain some of my willpower even though I wanted her so very badly.

I kissed her tenderly once more as I lowered her gently to the ground. "You need to sleep, Bella. I won't do this now."

She looked up at me angrily. "Fine," she said and stomped over toward her bed. "Don't come crying to me if you never get this chance again!"

She crawled under the covers fully clothed, with her shoes on. I would have laughed at the petulant look on her face if the thought of never touching her again didn't hurt me so very badly.

"You need to take your shoes off at least, love," I said, going over to her and fishing a foot out. I took one shoe off and then the other. I looked down at her as she lay there. Her dark hair was spread out wildly, and her lips were red and puffy from our kissing. A beautiful soft blush spread across her cheeks. I couldn't help but lean down and kiss her gently on the forehead. Bella huffed and turned over.

I reciprocated her hangover ministrations by making sure there was aspirin and a large bottle of water at her bedside. By the time I finished, she was already snoring softly.

I sighed and stalked back to my room. I couldn't bring myself to regret stopping what would definitely have been a colossal mistake, but there was a part of me (and that part was not _entirely_ in my pants) that was very disgruntled for passing up a chance to be with Bella.

I was also beginning to realize just how big of a part of my life Bella was becoming.

-==\\\//==-

_Bella POV_

"Oh god," I rasped into the semi-dark room. I heard a tinkle of laughter from the bathroom.

"My head. My poor, poor head. It will never be the same again," I lamented into the covers that I had pulled above my eyes.

"Good morning, Bella, dear. How do you feel?"

"Like a five thousand pound elephant spent the night jumping on my head. Jesus, I'm never drinking again."

"You say that now. Take some Aspirin. Edward left them for you." She emphasized Edward's name very suggestively.

I tried to get my mind started through the fog of sleep, alcohol, and the elephant.

Edward. The key-card…

The door…

The kissing…

The grinding…

"OH GOD!" I shouted, jumping up in bed, and then immediately regretted it as the room started moving violently. I threw my head down into my hands and started chanting, "No, no, no, no, no…I didn't…oh crap, oh crap."

Alice started off amused at my display but narrowed her eyes as it continued. "What did you do?"

"Oh, Alice! Why did you let me out of your sight with him? This is not good at all. I was so drunk. I didn't realize how strong the drinks were, and they were so good…and then he looked so good and why not…my filter was gone!" I was rapidly descending into incoherency.

"Bella, calm down." She went to the nightstand and got some Aspirin and my water. She settled onto the bed across from mine and looked at me, seemingly torn between humor and exasperation. "Take these. To answer your first question, when you perched yourself in Edward's lap and stated that he was a gentleman and would never take advantage of you, you kind of took it out of my hands. Basically, I had to disagree with you to get you away from him.”

"He didn't have that much to drink, and I thought that you would be fine. Apparently, I was wrong." She frowned. "What happened?"

"I practically threw myself at him," I wailed, but as the night came back in increasing clarity, I reconsidered. "No, I did throw myself at him. In fact, I think I put Lauren to shame last night." I threw my head into my hands, completely mortified.

She winced at the mention of Lauren but recovered quickly. "Bella, it's okay. Nothing happened, right? I mean, sometimes this happens when people drink. I'm sure he won't hold it against you."

I groaned. "If nothing happened and I just made a complete ass of myself, I could live with that. This though…"

Alice got very serious. "Okay, what exactly did you two do?"

I filled her in on the kissing, the groping, and the grinding. Oh, God, the grinding. My whole body tingled at the memory. The entire incident was beyond fantastic as far as my hormones and certain body parts were concerned. However, every rational part of me knew that getting up close and personal with Edward wasn't a good thing, not only for me but for Alice as well. We were lumped into the same category. If I was seen as anything less than professional and respectable, she would be too.

Alice thought my story over. "Well, there's nothing that can be done now. It sounds like he stopped it before it went too far. Seriously, we'll deal with it if it comes up. Don't look so horrified, Bella. If it happened like you say, Edward was most definitely not an unwilling participant." I looked up and caught the tail end of her smirk.

-==\\\//==-


	9. Old Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.
> 
> Original betas for this chapter: LuluM, SandandSirens, VotreAmant

**Chapter Nine**  
Old Friends

_Bella POV_

"Oh, look! Deep-fried chocolate bars!"

I rolled my eyes and followed Alice to the food stand. "Alice, you're probably not even a hundred pounds soaking wet. Where are you going to put all this food?"

She handed over the funnel cake she was working on and fished out some money for a deep-fried snickers bar. Over the last twenty minutes, I had watched her order an alarming amount of food as we explored the vendors looking for lunch. I stuck with the reasonably tame fried chicken and old fashioned lemonade. Alice insisted on trying everything new that she could sink her teeth into. Considering we were currently at one of the largest music festivals in Texas, that was a lot of food.

We found a picnic table and finally settled in to eat. I watched with fascination as Alice arranged the dishes around her in order of consumption. Apparently, the fried snickers bar was an appetizer, while the pulled pork sandwich and deep-fried corn constituted the main course. She was saving the deep-fried Oreos for dessert.

I shuddered and picked at my chicken while scanning the crowd around us. I had managed to avoid Edward since my indiscretion at the hotel the night before last. We packed up and left for Texas early yesterday morning, and the band had press lined up for a good portion of the day today. It wasn't a good long term strategy, but for now, it was working.

"You can't avoid him forever, you know."

"What? I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" I stuttered. It was horribly unconvincing, even by my standards.

Alice looked at me over her corn cob with a raised eyebrow that clearly said she agreed with my assessment.

"I just don't know what I'm going to say to him. I threw myself at him…God, he must think I'm some kind of-" I hesitated and searched for the words that were vile enough.

"Human female, who was drunk off her ass and finds him fuck-hot? Yes, I can see how you'd think he would be horrified by you. His ego must already lay in ruins."

I blushed and returned to picking at my chicken. "Do you know how many women fall all over themselves to paw at him every day? How can I even hope to make an impression when that's my competition? And let's not forget his hook-ups."

"Bella, if you start putting yourself down again, I will come over there and throttle you. I'm not sure how successful I'll be with all this grease on my hands, but I'll give it a damn good try. As for your competition and his hook-ups, are you blind?"

I made my best owl impression by blinking at her blankly. She shook her head and sighed.

"Have you seen him with anyone in the last two months? Edward hasn't given anything female the time of day. Your little groping session is probably the most action he's seen since before Denver. Besides, as I said to you yesterday morning, he was definitely into it. Apparently, I also need to remind you that while you were both drunk, he wasn’t that far gone. He knew what he was getting into, and he enjoyed it. Think about that while you're running all over the place trying to avoid him."

She was smug, but as usual, she was right, and she knew it.

"Oh my god! You have to try this." She handed me a fork full of fried batter, whipped cream and dark syrup.

There didn't look to be any questionable meat involved, so I tried the mystery food. It was bizarre but good.

"What the hell is it?"

"Fried Coca-Cola."

"Putting aside the fact that someone actually came up with that idea…how on earth do you deep-fry a beverage?"

"They make a batter with it, I think. And the sauce is the syrup used to make the soda."

"I'm equally distressed by the food here and how much you know about it, Alice."

She beamed at me proudly.

"Holy Shit! Alice, Bella, is that you?"

We both turned to see a blur of a person running towards us and attaching himself to Alice. It only took us a second to recognize him.

"Riley! Oh my gosh! I didn't even know you guys were playing here. You're not on the roster," I said once he had released me from a rib splitting hug.

"We were a last-minute addition to the line-up. Someone dropped out, and we were in the area, so we landed the gig."

Riley was the singer for a band called _The Newborns_. We worked with them a few times over the years, and they were all good friends. One of the little known facts about Riley is that, despite his womanizing persona, he was gay. He wasn't ashamed of it, and he didn’t want to hide that fact either, but the label just thought it was better for the band's image.

"So what’s up? We haven't talked in forever! I hear from Esme that you're hooked up with Midnight Sun now? You are lucky, lucky, bitches."

I heard Alice growl and laughed before she glared at me. I shoved the chicken leg back in my mouth to ensure that my tongue behaved.

Riley narrowed his eyes and gave Alice a calculating look. "Oh, now that's new. I thought you never mixed business and pleasure?" He formed air-quotes to highlight the phrase. It had been a topic of many late-night discussions.

"I wasn't the one playing tonsil hockey with Edward while pinned up against a hotel room door!"

Riley's head turned toward me so fast, I was sure he must have sprained something.

I lowered the chicken leg and kept my eyes on my plate. "Well, I was kind of drunk at the time."

His eyes bulged out in surprise. "Drunk _and_ sampling the goods? There is obviously a story here, and I must hear it. Let's take your…" he eyed the plates in front of Alice with distaste, "…food and go back to the bus. The other guys will want to see you again too. Then, you can spill your guts on everything."

Riley must have seen the cornered animal look in my eyes because he came over and draped his arm around me.

"Bella, you wouldn't be thinking of trying to run from me, would you? I can always go ask Edward what happened."

"You wou…" I started, but as Riley raised his eyebrows incredulously, I realized he would, and he would enjoy it too.

"Fine, fine, let's go. I haven't had quite enough torment for one day yet."

The three of us gathered up Alice's food and started toward the artist area where the buses were parked. Alice and Riley were lost in their conversation and pulled ahead of me. Looking around the large parking lot, I started to give serious thought to disappearing again. Then, I remembered that we had left the secondary bus at the hotel this morning. The band bus was the only place I had to go, and that meant facing Edward while Jasper and Emmett watched me turn various shades of red.

I stopped and took in my surroundings. Alice was already climbing the stairs, and Riley finally seemed to have noticed my absence. The movement of a vehicle to my left caught my attention. As the golf cart came to a stop, Edward stepped out and froze. The blush started immediately as he looked at me, but then he turned, and his glance fell on Riley, who was quickly approaching me.

Apparently, Riley didn't notice our audience as he came up to me and put an arm around my shoulders. "Bella, I'm not going to use torture to make you talk or anything. If you don't want to tell me about it, you don't have to. There's no need for a blush like that."

He smiled reassuringly and led me onto the bus. Alice was already catching up with the rest of the band. When they saw me, I was quickly enveloped in friendly hugs.

-==\\\//==-

_Rosalie POV_

Fucking Texas.

Not that I disliked Texas, I really didn't. The fact that everything was sticking to me in nasty and uncomfortable ways was the real problem. Honestly, it was my own fault for coming here in the middle of summer. I took another long drink from my water bottle and paced outside the radio station trailer.

That was problem number two. When I arranged this trip, Emmett had a free day, and we were planning on spending every minute of it together. Since then, the festival had been booked, and the day filled up with interviews.

Now, instead of our beautiful day locked in a hotel room, Emmett and I hadn't had a minute alone yet. At least the guys were scheduled to go on early today. By four o'clock, Emmett and I should be on our way to the hotel, where no one would bother us for at least eighteen hours. Not if they valued their lives anyway.

We had so little time together during a national tour. These short visits kept us both sane. It also made anything that kept us apart while I was visiting more annoying than usual. I growled at the elaborate speaker setup in front of the trailer as I listened to one inane question after the other.

Finally, the interview came to an end, and I let out a sigh of relief. This was the last press of the day for them. Now I just had about two more hours before the band played their set, and we could all cut and run. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward stepped down out of the trailer and headed for the golf cart that was taking us all back to the artist area.

"Finally!" Emmett said as he came over and wrapped his arms around me.

We all participated in a healthy DJ bashing session as we drove past the concert-goers.

"That had to be the worse one yet. Can't we prescreen them for I.Q. or something, baby?" Emmett said to me with his best pout.

"Ah, come on, Em, he wasn't _that_ bad," Jasper said.

"The dude called me Emmett McCartney, for fuck sakes."

"I know that it's annoying, but if you only want to be interviewed by smart DJs, that's going to really cut into your promo opportunities. I'll try to make sure they know your name from now on. How's that?" That was me, always the negotiator.

Emmett pouted again as we all had a good laugh. Although I would never admit it, I missed joking with these guys when I wasn't around. We didn't always get along, but Edward and Jasper were like brothers. This lifestyle meant that there were times that we practically lived together. The fact that we all felt like family made everything so much easier.

We were climbing out of the golf cart to enjoy some downtime in the air-conditioned bus when I saw Edward staring down the road very intently. Following his line of sight, I saw Bella stop dead in her tracks and turn beet red before a man I recognized as the lead singer for one of our other acts came back and threw one arm around her to guide her into his bus while laughing loudly

"What was that all about?" I asked as I turned to Edward.

He stomped up the stairs as I looked to Jasper and Emmett with raised eyebrows. They both just shook their heads and followed after him. The moment we were all inside, Edward started in on a tirade I could only assume he was continuing from earlier.

"Why is she avoiding me, and why in the hell is she getting on _The Newborns’_ bus? Did you see how Riley was hanging all over her? The fucker screws anything that moves. What does she want with him? And where is Alice?"

I snickered as he turned his anger my way. Emmett sat down and pulled me into his lap.

"Something you'd care to add, Rosalie?" Edward said with a sneer.

"Oh no, first, I want to know what's going on. Then I'll share what I know."

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously wanting to know my information but not wanting to reveal any himself.

I could feel Emmett fidgeting in anticipation under me. I grinned widely, besides the fact that his movements were doing wonderful things to me. Whatever happened, I’d be in on the secret soon. Emmett knew, and he kept secrets from me like a sieve kept water. I started counting down from ten in my head, figuring if Edward didn't come out with it by the time I finished, Emmett would. I barely got to five.

"Edward has it bad for Bella." Edward gaped at him, and I hid my shock behind a snide look. Jasper laughed loudly at Edward's indignation.

"Oh, and Jasper wants Alice," Emmett added as an afterthought. Jasper's laughter stopped abruptly.

"Bella and Alice? _Our_ Bella and Alice?"

Edward sighed and fell down onto the couch. "We had a moment the other night. Now she seems to be avoiding me."

"Define moment."

"There may have been some kissing and…stuff."

Oh great. The ever articulate Edward was using the word stuff. "Did you fuck her?"

"Must you be so crass, Rosalie?"

"Give it a rest. I know you remember? You're not some proper Victorian gentleman. I know about your girls, and I don't think it's fair to Bella for you to make her one of them. I don't know her that well, but I know she's not the type."

"No, I didn't fuck her. We kissed, and it got a little heated before I put a stop to it. She was drunk, and I refused to take advantage of her. Regardless of what you seem to think, I'm not the type of guy that would do something like that."

"I’m sorry, Edward. I know you're not. I didn't mean it like that, I was just surprised. Those two are kind of known for not getting involved with the guys they work with."

"That doesn't surprise me. Look, it's…complicated, but I'm not just looking for a one night stand with her."

I turned that over in my mind a few times before switching to Jasper. He was silently making his way to the back of the bus, obviously hoping to avoid the inquisition. "And you?"

He raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't do anything!"

"Uh-huh. But you want to? What about them? Are they interested? Are they coming on to you?"

"Until that night, I thought she might be interested, but Bella never said or did anything," Edward said, eyeing Jasper.

"Same, they're not pursuing us if that's what you're asking." Jasper sighed.

"Well, that's interesting." I grimaced as I realized I needed to find out what was going on between these four and that it might cut into my time with Emmett. I debated my options quickly. My first option was to stay here and try to figure things out through the guys. The problem was, they were male, which meant that it wouldn’t work. Jasper was intuitive, but Edward was downright delusional about his own emotions at times.

My second option was to go directly to the source. Since I knew that Bella and Alice were nothing more than friends with Riley and his band, I was willing to bet money that even though we hadn't seen her, Alice was there with Bella.

I jumped up, startling everyone. The sooner I started, the quicker I'd be done with it. I scooped up my purse and planted a kiss on my man.

"I'll be back in a little bit."

The last thing I heard as I slammed the bus door behind me was Edward stammering, "…but wait, you didn't tell me about…"

Sure, it was evil not to tell Edward that Riley was no threat to him where Bella was concerned, but being evil is fun! A few minutes later, I knocked on the door of _The Newborn's_ bus. I saw Riley peek through the curtain and brighten as he saw me.

"Rosie!" he sang as he threw the door open.

"Riley, if you call me Rosie again, you won't have to worry about being led around by your dick anymore. I'll cut it off."

"Still my lovely demure Rose, I see." He laughed and pulled me in for a hug.

"All our old friends are showing up today, first Bella and Alice, now you. To what do I owe this honor?"

I glanced up at the bus and closed the door, so we could have some privacy outside. I may as well use the situation to my full advantage. Riley loved to gossip. Maybe I could get an outside opinion of Bella and Alice from him.

"I figure that you've managed to find out what's going on with Bella and Alice by now. Fill me in."

Riley pressed his lips together thoughtfully. "I know you, Rosalie Hale. You're here to sniff them out and see if they're up to something. Bella and Alice are good ones. There are no ulterior motives there. In fact, I think they're still freaking out about the whole workplace involvement issue."

"You're biased since you’re friends with them, Riley. I'm not looking to rip any heads off. I just want to make sure…" I shook my head and started again. "I know they’ve been working with us for a while, but I've never actually met them. We only ever communicate through email, and then it's all work."

"And you're protective of your guys even if you'd rather eat nails than admit it. I know, I know. How about this? If you can forego your marathon sex session for a few more hours, we'll all go out to dinner tonight. Then we can both see the sparks fly in person."

Riley smiled wickedly, and I found myself agreeing quickly. As reluctant as I was to waste any of my visit, getting to know Bella and Alice was something I needed to do.

"I think you should invite Bella and Alice and forget to mention we'll be there. Edward seems to think Bella is avoiding him, and I don't know that she'll go if he's there."

"You are an evil bitch, Rose, and that's why I love you. It's a plan. Call me with the details later."

He hugged me and disappeared into the bus again. As I walked back, I already had my phone out and dialing. The good thing about handling booking for artists all over the world was that I was never at a loss for a place to go. I could get a reservation almost anywhere at the drop of a hat.

Before I made it back to our bus, I'd booked a private room at one of the local BBQ restaurants. I shuddered at the thought of Emmett around that much meat, not to mention all the rest of them. If nothing else, it would keep them quiet and leave Alice, Bella, and I to carry most of the conversation.

"I saw you talking to him, what did he say?" I was barely halfway up the stairs when Edward confronted me. I decided to take pity on him.

"Edward, sit." He opened his mouth to protest but sat after I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ok, first. Bella and Alice are friends with all the guys in that band. We sent them out with _The Newborns_ three or four times over the last couple of years."

"But…"

"Secondly," I said, cutting him off, "Riley is gay. He isn't competition, Edward, so calm down."

His mouth was slightly open in shock, so I answered the question that was undoubtedly about to surface.

"Yes, I know about his rep. The label likes him to keep up the charade. It's better for sales. He doesn't really like it, and neither do we, but he agreed to it. Anyway, we decided that it was a good idea for all of us to go out to dinner tonight. You know, catch up and stuff."

I took in the reluctant faces around me and instantly shifted to bitch mode. "And before anyone says anything, you're all going. No complaints. If I have to drag you to the restaurant kicking and screaming, I'll do it, so help me God."

I smiled as their shoulders slumped in defeat. I loved being me.

-==\\\//==-

_Bella POV_

"Who was it?" I asked as Riley's head appeared through the privacy curtain at the front of the bus.

"Just another old friend." He flopped down on the couch beside me with a Cheshire grin. "And speaking of old friends, we're taking you two out to dinner tonight. I will not take no for an answer. We have a lot of catching up to do, and we have to be on stage in forty-five minutes. Your boys are after us, so it should work out just fine. You're free, right?"

"Of course! We'd love to." Alice shot me a look of surprise when I answered. I knew what she was thinking. Usually, she had to drag me out to anything social, but this was a perfect excuse to keep up my Edward avoidance a little longer.

"Alright then, where are you guys staying?"

"The Marriot by the airport."

"Perfect, we're at The Westin down the highway. Our bus is leaving about an hour after our set so if you need a ride you can come with us. We'll go back and get cleaned up and head out for seven. Sound good?"

"As always, Riley, your anal-retentive planning skills are second only to Bella's." Alice burst out in a fit of giggles as we both gave her the evil eye.

The rest of my afternoon consisted of a one-sided game of hide and seek with Edward. Basically, I planned to hide from him until the band hit the stage, and I had to show my face to work. I was safe then because he would be unable to talk to me.

So far, I was winning.

Even with my paranoid behavior, we enjoyed _The Newborns_ set and got some fantastic shots of our guys. I convinced Alice to call Jasper and let him know that we would be catching a ride back to the hotel with Riley. When the bus finally started moving, I let out a sigh of relief. Instantly a wave of guilt crept over me.

If I kept this up, Edward was going to think that I was mad at him or worse. The idea of hurting him made my stomach churn. Then I realized that if I didn't pull myself together, I could really screw things up both personally and professionally.

_You made your bed, now you have to lie in it… put on your big girl pants and deal with this. You can't be a coward forever._

I grimaced at my inner monologue, but I knew it was right. First thing in the morning, I would go apologize to Edward and sort this out like an adult.

"Earth to Bella." Alice was waving her hand in front of my face. "There you are. We're here. Are you going to come up to the room to take a shower, or do you like the dusty look?"

Sticking my tongue out at her, I ducked under her arm and ran into the hotel. I managed to catch an elevator just as it was closing. She came into the lobby and saw me as the doors started to close. The last thing I saw was her swearing at me. _It looks like I get to shower first tonight._

Since we had unlimited hot water, it didn't really matter who went first. It was just one of those stupid ongoing games for honor and bragging rights. Don't judge us, life on the road can get boring.

Just over an hour later, Alice and I were knocking on Riley's door. He opened it and held up a finger as he finished a phone call.

"Yeah, that's fine. They just got here. Alright, I'll text you later." He hung up the phone and gave us an appraising once over. "You look wonderful. Shall we go?"

"Where are the other guys?" Alice said as she looked around his room.

"They left a couple of minutes ago since we wouldn't all fit in one cab."

Riley took us to a huge all you can eat BBQ restaurant. I smiled at the thought of teasing Emmett about missing out. He would have taken the opportunity to try and personally bankrupt the place. On second thought, maybe it was a good thing I didn't have to watch that.

As we pulled up, Riley paid the driver and pulled out his phone. He sent a quick message and led us inside. We were standing at the podium, waiting to be seated when a familiar looking blond approached us. I was sure that I knew her, but I couldn't place her. She walked right up to Riley and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"You guys know each other even if you've never met. Bella, Alice, this is Rosalie Hale."

My mouth fell open as I realized who I was staring at. Of course, I had seen Rosalie in pictures before, but none of them had done her justice. She was even more statuesque and beautiful than I imagined. At that moment, something else clicked in my brain.

_Why is Rosalie here?_

I looked up at Riley with alarm as my brain slowly put the pieces together. He let out a loud laugh and put an arm around my shoulder.

"Let's go eat, Bells!"

"I'm going to hurt you, Riley, in excruciatingly slow ways," I said as I felt my face turning red.

"I'm flattered, hon, but you know you're just not my type. Besides, I'm not into that S&M stuff."

Rosalie brought us down a corridor where the private party rooms were. The sound of males bonding over the promise of large quantities of meat could be heard from a distance. When we entered our room, I saw the rest of _The Newborns_ as well as our guys seated around a massive table. Crew members from both camps had come along too, no doubt lured by promises of all you can eat BBQ. From the sound of the laughter we had followed down the hallway, everyone was already getting along wonderfully.

I took a deep, cleansing breath and reminded myself that I was being stupid. These were my friends. Edward was a friend. I had already decided I needed to suck it up, and I was going to have fun tonight.

The meal started off quite well. Once platters of ribs, pulled pork, wings, and deep-fried side dishes arrived, the conversation dropped to a minimum, and the guys were occupied with their plates. I only found myself staring at Edward four times, and I don't think he noticed. Rose, Alice, and I were talking about work, having finished our burgers and salad long ago. That was when Edward decided to get chatty.

He turned to Riley, who was sitting on my right. "So, Rose tells us that you guys worked with these two a lot. Have any juicy stories to share?"

I think I swallowed my tongue when I saw Riley's eyes light up.

"I have many stories. Where do I start?" he said with an evil grin in my direction.

I jumped up to cover Riley's mouth with my hand, but he saw me coming and darted to the other side of the table. Everyone laughed as Emmett blocked my progress.

"Well, if I didn't want to hear them before, you have my full attention now," Emmett said as he planted me back in my chair. "I think you and I should trade seats, though. I'll make sure she doesn't interfere."

Riley looked quite please with his new position between Edward and Jasper. "Have you guys been introduced to Bitch-Bella and Angry-Alice yet?"

"We've met them in passing. Thankfully we haven't been in the crosshairs yet." Jasper looked a little reluctant to weigh in on that particular topic.

"Yeah, we never fucked with them either. Scary." Riley shuddered.

"We're sitting right here, you know," Alice growled.

Riley let out an evil laugh. "Oh! I know. I'll tell you about Colin."

Alice tried to look angry but just ended up laughing. "At least he deserved it."

"Colin was our tour manager about a year ago. He was a bit of a self-absorbed prick. He never really appreciated what these lovely ladies did or how hard they worked."

"Nice try, Riley, but it's still too late for flattery," I warned him.

He laughed at my warning and continued. "Well, after a solid week of nothing but patronizing behavior, Bella and Alice went home the morning we were scheduled for a cross country flight. We were all shuffling through security with our carry-ons when Colin got stopped.

"The security guy said he had to unpack the bag because there was something suspicious in it. Colin bitched and complained, calling the guards useless but finally agreed when he realized he had no choice. The guy unpacked the bag and let out a low whistle as he pulled out a massive twelve-inch dong complete with realistic veins and everything.

"Perhaps if Colin hadn't mouthed off when they asked to search his bag, it wouldn't have got worse than that, but the guard was looking for revenge at this point. He slapped it down on top of the x-ray machine and proceeded to lecture Colin about how sex toys should be packed in his checked luggage if he would like to avoid situations like this in the future. As he talked, his voice got louder and eventually was demonstrating how the vibrating mechanism raises red flags for them to the entire crowd.

"We all knew how it got there. The day before, Alice tried to bring something to Colin's attention. He didn't appreciate her being an 'uptight watchdog' and told her to go back to her hotel and get herself off to release the tension, only not so nicely. Anyway, he wasn't impressed by the gift she left him. The fact that Esme told him there was nothing she could do since he had no proof that Alice did anything wrong was the last straw, and he decided not to tour with us again.

"Shame really." Riley snorted.

"Wow, remind me not to piss you off, Alice," Jasper said when he'd finally stopped laughing.

"Don't let Bella fool you. She comes off as the shy innocent one, but she can hold her own too." Riley laughed again as he saw Emmett put a hand on my shoulder to keep me from getting up. I closed my eyes and wondered which story he was going to bring up.

 _Please, not New Jersey. Please, not New Jersey,_ I chanted to myself.

"When they were with us in New Jersey, Bella went complete band slut on us."

 _Fuck!_ I saw Edward choke on his drink, and I lowered my head to the table.

"It was all for a good cause. We had a ton of press lined up that day, and apparently, she overheard a reporter’s plan to 'out' me. Personally, I wouldn't have cared all that much, but Bella being the professional that she is, concocted a plan to keep that from happening."

Knowing how much worse this was going to get, I started banging my head on the table. Maybe I'd get head trauma, and they'd have to call an ambulance.

Emmett slipped a folded napkin under my forehead. When I glared at him, he shrugged.

"The noise is distracting, and I want to hear this." He turned back to Riley and waited for him to continue.

"Alice was with me all day organizing press, so I know that what Bella did was all her. I sat down with the reporter, and he started in on the standard questions. Before he got to anything remotely controversial, Bella came running into the room, claiming that she couldn't wait on the bus for another minute. She needed to have her hands on me this instant.

She was dressed in the shortest little schoolgirl skirt and had a tiny white shirt that looked like it was two sizes too small. Her tits were all pushed up and practically falling out. She even did her hair and makeup. I shit you not, she wore pigtails, and she nearly looked illegal." Riley turned to me and beamed.

"I swear. I've never been closer to going straight than I was at that moment. Well, not really, but you get the idea. Anyway, she ran over to me and perched herself on my lap and spent the rest of the interview alternating between grinding herself into me, running her hands through my hair, sucking on my earlobe, and batting her eyelashes at the reporter. Let me tell you, Bella can put on a damn good show when she wants to.

"The reporter was completely dazzled by her and must have bought how she hung all over me because he barely got another coherent question out for the rest of the interview. Toward the end, when she full-on kissed me, the reporter actually blushed, and you know those fuckers have no shame."

I looked up to see Edward staring at me with his mouth hanging open. I was waiting for the other foot. Once Riley told them what the reporter called me, I knew I was going to have a new nickname.

"I actually think that she gave my reputation a whole new level that day. If you find the interview, you'll see that he refers to her as 'the sex kitten that pawed the lead singer through the hour-long interview.'"

Riley winked at me, and I instantly knew he was about to do something that I would definitely not approve of. "Maybe if you ask really nicely, Bella will wear that little number again sometime."

As the laughter finally started to die, I looked directly at Riley across the table. "Sleep with one eye open, Riley."

"What?" he said with expertly feigned innocence. "I only told the truth, Bella dear. Besides, your tits did look fabulous that day."

I thought I caught Edward nodding at that. Thankfully the conversation shifted to another topic, and the spotlight was no longer on my tits.

We ordered dessert, then coffee, as many more stories were traded. When the meal finally wound down, Alice and I said our goodbye's to Riley and his band. Even with emails touring schedules were busy, and it was hard to keep in touch. We probably wouldn't be seeing each other for a long time. That was probably a good thing for Riley's life expectancy.

Just before he left, Riley leaned down and whispered in my ear. "You better get your claws into that Edward before I see him next or all bets are off. Not that I think I'd have a chance with the way he was staring at you all night."

I whacked him on the ass as he laughed at my immediate blush.

At least dinner seemed to clear up the tension between Edward and I. When I first arrived, I caught him looking at me with concern more than once, but by the end of the evening, we were laughing and chatting with ease. I would still need to talk to him tomorrow and discuss the whole situation, but tonight was a good start.

Rose, Alice, and I piled into one cab while the guys took another. I checked my watch and saw that it was already after ten.

"I'm not ready for bed yet. I think I'll go for a swim when we get back."

Alice turned around in the front seat to face us. "That sounds like a great idea. I know we're leaving early in the morning. It's a short trip, so as long as we're in bed by midnight, we can nap on the bus in the morning, and we should be fine."

I turned to Rosalie. "We'd love to have you along, Rosalie, but something tells me you have other plans."

"I may join you in a little while. I think Emmett ate an entire barn’s worth of meat tonight, so I doubt he's going to be awake for very long."

-==\\\//==-

_Jasper POV_

I stubbed my toe twice, trying to find the phone in the dark hotel room. Apparently, I had left it in my jeans pocket in my haste to pass out. The sun and the huge meal had done a number on me. I was lucky to stay awake long enough to make it to my bed.

"Edward? What the fuck, man? I told you I was going to sleep."

"Come to my room. Now."

"We've discussed this. I don't think of you that way."

"Fine, Jasper, if you don't want to see this, then go back to sleep."

"See what?" I swore as he hung up on me.

My bleary eyes found the clock beside my bed, and I saw that it was just past eleven-thirty. I threw some clothes on and shoved the key card in my pocket before stumbling to the door. I was already planning what I would do to Edward if he was screwing with me. Even though I was still half asleep and blind from the light in the hallway, I managed to find Edward's room and knocked.

The door opened slowly, but I couldn't see anything inside.

"Are you pretending to be a vampire and shunning the light?"

"No, smart ass, come here, and be quiet."

Edward led me to his balcony.

"This is nice, Edward. I have a balcony too, and a black sky and stars…"

"But do you have a view of the pool?"

I stepped to the railing and looked down. That was when I saw Alice, and suddenly I was very awake. She was in a small white bikini with a colorful print. The bottom was low cut, and the entire thing showed her body off in stunning ways.

She swam over to the side of the pool, where Bella was sitting with her legs in the water. Bella was in a slightly more modest dark blue bikini. I didn't have to look over at Edward to know that he was drooling and probably imagining using his teeth on each of the ties that were holding Bella's suit on.

"How long have they been here?"

"About forty-five minutes."

"And you just decided to call me?"

"No, I've been calling you since they got here. You just decided to pick up."

We both stood and watched in silence as the girls laughed and talked. We were on the fourth floor, so although we could see them clearly, we weren't quite close enough to make out what they were saying. From the laughter that kept drifting to us, they were having a lot of fun. Rosalie must have been sitting out of sight because she suddenly jumped in the pool and started splashing Bella and daring her to get in.

I jumped when I heard the patio door on the next balcony open.

"Emmett," Edward said, sounding as though he was in a trance.

He came over to us and looked down at the pool. "Enjoying the view, boys?"

"Yeah, you could say that," I whimpered.

He leaned over the railing and watched for a few more minutes.

"LOOKIN' HOT, ROSE BABY!" Emmett bellowed suddenly, and my heart nearly jumped out of my body.

Edward and I froze as three heads turned and looked directly up at us. They waved and laughed at us before we had the time or good sense to move.

"Dammit, Emmett, did the whole skulking in the dark thing not clue you in? We were trying to go unnoticed here."

"Oh, were you? Sorry, I guess I ruined that, huh?" He chuckled and disappeared back into his room.

By the time I looked back down at the pool, the girls had left. I sighed. "Well, that was fun while it lasted. In case I don't remember because of my extreme fatigue, remind me to invite Alice swimming at the next possible opportunity." I turned and headed for the door.

"Hey, Jasper?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'd actually have to convince Bella that I was gay to get her to wear that little schoolgirl number Riley was talking about?"

I passed a hand over my eyes and continued for the door. "Goodnight, Edward."

-==\\\//==-


	10. Ghosts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.
> 
> Original betas for this chapter: LuluM and LouderThanSirens

**Chapter Ten**  
Ghosts

_Bella POV_

Alice continued to flick through the iPod at lightning speed. "You know listening to music is more fun when you actually listen to it, right?"

"Bite me. I'm looking for a song," she threw back at me.

"Yeah, that's what you said five minutes ago." I laughed and puttered around the bus, putting things away. It had been a perfect morning. Most of it was spent on the phone with Esme as we drove to the next venue. She had just got the proofs of the posters back for the final show of the tour in New York. The show was scheduled for two months from today, but the artwork needed to be finalized.

She was quite impressed with what we had come up with. In fact, she was practically oozing satisfaction over all of our work up to this point. We were kicking ass, and as a result, we were almost literally bouncing off the walls with energy left to burn. The show was in a few hours, so we couldn't go a safe distance to burn it off in a dignified fashion that didn't have the possibility of turning into a future tour anecdote, but at this point, we were feeling too good to care. It was time to let off some steam or spontaneously combust.

A drumbeat started pounding out from the stereo in the front of the bus.

Alice squealed, and I ran up front to catch our cue.

Yes, our chosen energy-burning activity was a good old fashioned rock-out. Alice's always had a sixth sense for the perfect song to fit a mood, and today was no exception. It was definitely in the gold star category of good rock out songs.

I looked out the heavily tinted bus window and saw Edward walking across the parking lot, shooting a curious look in our direction. He smirked and headed toward it. He was drawn, I assumed, by the music and the fact that the bus was moving as we threw ourselves around singing. To his credit, he did try knocking, but we were too busy to answer. Eventually, his curiosity got the best of him as he opened the door and came halfway up the stairs, looking highly amused.

Alice and I stopped at the same time, looked at him, looked at each other, shrugged, and went right on dancing and singing.

He burst out laughing and leaned against the divider, preparing to take in the entire performance. It didn't bother us; we were still having too much fun to care.

Carlisle's approach went completely unnoticed by the three of us, but suddenly, he showed up behind Edward and took in the scene. He shook his head at us, and I think I saw the words "God give me strength" cross his lips as he latched on to the scruff of Edward's shirt and dragged him back to the venue.

We could very distinctly hear Edward protesting, " _Hey!_ I was watching that!" as the song ended.

Alice and I fell onto the couches laughing.

Mission accomplished.

Later that day, we walked into the venue and headed towards production. Soundcheck was in full swing, but we didn't need to do anything with the band until showtime. Alice and I were using the rest of the day to catch up on some tasks we'd been putting off.

At that moment, we were utterly absorbed in the new photos Alice was organizing. We were rating and assigning them to publicity or web use when the band stopped playing. I looked up as a crooked smile grew on Edward's lips. He promptly broke into an all too familiar guitar riff. Emmett looked at him for a bar or two, then laughed and nodded while joining in on drums. I'm sure that Jasper would have added vocals if he hadn't just fallen down laughing.

The song they were playing our rock-out song.

I blushed, as Alice bowed regally from the waist. We looked at each other, threw up the horns, and started headbanging. As theme songs went, it could have been a whole lot worse.

They laughed and broke from playing. Edward turned to his bandmates for a moment before hopping down off the stage and jogging to us. "Alice, do you mind if I borrow the Sex Kitten for a minute?"

I glared at him while muttering curses at Riley. Alice raised an eyebrow but extended her hand in a 'she's all yours' gesture.

"Do you mind, Bella?"

"Not at all," I said, trying to sound cheerful when my stomach had just taken up residence at my feet. I didn't know what he was going to say, but I'd be willing to bet my laptop that this was going to be about my drunken antics the other night. I fully intended to talk to him as soon as we arrived this morning, but he was on the phone doing radio interviews from the moment we got here.

Edward directed me outside and around the back, where he jumped up to sit on a loading dock. I leaned against it beside him, watching the open field behind the building with avid interest. Hopefully, the angle would be enough that the blush that was already creeping across my face would be hidden from him. I could feel his eyes on me and wondered if this could possibly be worse than I was already anticipating.

"So," I hedged, trying to keep my voice light. "What's up?"

"You've been avoiding me." He sounded sad, and I had to fight myself not to turn and look at him.

"I have not! Well, not today, anyway. I seem to remember a lively performance that you enjoyed just this morning. Trust me, when I'm avoiding people, I usually don't sing and dance for them. I'm way better at it than that."

"Bella, I've been trying to talk to you for the last two and a half days. Every time you're alone, and I approach you, you either skitter off before I get there or start babbling about a meeting or phone call and disappear."

"That obvious, huh?"

"I believe I've heard Alice refer to the fact that you're not a very good liar? I'm sorry, but I have to agree." He chuckled. "What happened the other night, I don't want…"

"Look, Edward, I really am sorry about that. It's…it's not something that I usually do. Neither of us usually behave like that. In fact, I've never even been that drunk before while on a job. I would hate for you to think that Alice and I make a habit of throwing ourselves at people we work with or something. We don't sleep with different people in every town or anything." I desperately tried to stop the word vomit before I said something idiotic. I realized I already had when I remembered the nights I'd noticed Edward with different women. He wasn't sleeping with random women after every show, but in more than a few cities, there had been women he took back to the hotel.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that!" I blurted out. "I just…we just hold ourselves to very high standards…" _Oh fantastic, Bella, why don't you just call him a whore!_ "Gah, that's not what I meant either, shit…"

"Bella," He laughed. "Relax! You're going to strain something."

He took a deep breath. "I know you probably think I'm rather indiscriminate with women, but that's really not the case."

"Edward, honestly, you don't owe me any explanations."

"Maybe not, but I’m open with my relationships, or lack thereof. I believe in honesty, I don’t just randomly pick up women."

I blushed and didn't say anything.

"What's that?" He laughed, and his voice raised into a falsetto. "No, Edward, I would never think that of you! You're the paragon of virtue in my eyes." He laughed. "The women you've seen me with, they all meant something to me. They weren't random fans I picked up for one night stands. They were all women that I'm friends with and respect greatly, and we always knew what we were both getting out of it. Besides, I haven't been meeting any of them for a while now. Someone has caught my interest, and I don't play games with people when it comes to those kinds of things."

I caught his sidelong glance and decided it would be safer if I chose not to understand that statement for the moment. Instead, I attempted to clear up my high standards remark. "I really didn't mean anything by the high standard comment, Edward. It's just that, in our positions, Alice and I have to be careful. We have to hold ourselves to a high standard because there are so many other people who do. That's all."

He jumped down from the concrete platform and stepped in front of me. He was almost close enough to touch me, and I fought the overwhelming desire to step closer to him. "Bella, nothing happened that night that I regret, and I hope you feel the same. If you hadn't been drunk…well, let's just say I sure as hell wouldn't have been as hesitant as I was." He grinned his crooked smile at me, then turned and walked back into the venue, leaving me at a complete loss.

I stayed where I was, watching the wind play with the long grass in the field. My head was a jumble of thoughts and worries, and I was making no headway in sorting any of them out. My mind drifted back to Rosalie's departure this morning. When she left for the airport, she had pulled Alice and me aside and imparted some carefully chosen and cryptic advice.

" _I like you two."_

" _Um, thanks?" I said with confusion._

_"No, I mean it. I pride myself on being an excellent judge of people, and I would have no problem calling you two friends. That's not something I'm comfortable doing with just anyone. Usually, I like to take a bit longer to get to know people, but since I have to head back and your…situation is going to progress, I don't have that luxury. You have to know who you can trust in this business, and I get a good feeling from you two."_

" _Thanks, Rosalie. We think you're spiffy, too." Alice said, obviously sharing my confusion._

_"Because I like you, I'm going to give you some advice. You can interpret it how you like and do what you want with it from there._

" _Good people, the kind that you can count on and take at their word aren't easy to come by in this business. Hell, they're rare at the best of times anywhere, but this industry seems to draw a disproportionate amount of genuine assholes. When you find someone willing to put it on the line for you, they're worth risking anything for. Careers come and go, but someone like that you may never find again."_

_She turned to Alice. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You just need a kick in the ass, and this is it."_

_Then, she turned and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You overthink. You let your head rule your heart, and you probably have a good reason for it, but sometimes you just have to jump, no matter how scary it is._

" _Now, I fully expect you to abide by the code of the sisterhood or the ovaries or whatever the fuck we call it and not mention this conversation to anyone. If you do, I'll just deny it."_

_With that, she gave us both hugs before disappearing with Emmett for a more private goodbye._

The sound of footsteps carried to me over the wind, and I saw Alice round the corner with two plates of food.

"You're too good to me." I smiled.

"I take care of my bitch." She grinned back, handing me my food and a drink. "So, was it bad? I didn't think you were back here celebrating."

"No, it wasn't bad, not at all. I think it was just unexpected." I played with some fries on my plate. Alice didn't say anything; she just ate her food and waited for me to explain in my own time.

"He said that he didn't regret it and he hopes that I don't either. And I don't. He also said he was interested, but I just…wasn't looking for this. I honestly didn't think I'd ever get involved with a guy again. I don't know if I even want to." I sighed and mashed more fries together.

"I mean, there's a part of me that absolutely knows that I do not want to deal with the crap a relationship will bring me. Then there's a part of me that's excited and singing and alive. The thing is, I thought that part was dead and gone."

"Surprise!" Alice said cheerfully, but not without sympathy.

"Yeah, exactly. Then, of course, there's the fact that this isn't just any guy. There's the work stuff to consider too."

"Okay, the rest I'll give you, but not that one. Edward is a guy just like any other, regardless of his job. As far as our job goes, all our rules are there to keep us from doing something stupid in the spur of the moment, not to stop you from getting seriously involved with someone you've developed feelings for. That's what Rosalie was trying to tell us."

"You think?"

"I do. I guess there are some not so subtle vibes going around, and she picked up on them. That speech this morning was her way of telling us she approves."

I nodded weakly.

"I mean it, Bella. If you decide not to see where this is headed, then it's going to be for reasons other than your job. If you're not ready because of…well because you're still working through issues or scars, then that's totally different."

"I've had almost four years to work through the issues. I don’t think they’re going anywhere."

"They won't if you take that approach. Look, it's not something you have to figure out right now, but I can't help you decide on this one. I think he's a great guy and that you two have a spark. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and all those other cheesy clichés." She smiled and picked up her trash. "Don't be out here too long. I need you on the bus to do some gear inventory for tonight."

I watched her disappear around the corner before picking up my own trash and following. Cutting the past loose would be the best way to make my peace with it. I wasn't sure I could do that, but there was definitely a part of me that wanted to, and it was getting stronger.

-==\\\//==-

_Edward POV_

The rest of the afternoon was lost to distraction. I had spent a lot of time figuring out what I was going to say to her, and now I was second-guessing everything. I saw Bella around the venue through the afternoon, and she seemed herself again. She laughed at Alice and waved when she saw me, so I thought everything was going according to plan.

I actually felt pretty smug about the whole thing until ten minutes ago. Bella slipped in the front doors of the venue, looking like she'd seen a ghost. Alice wasn't with her, so now I was wondering if her earlier ease had just been a show. I watched as Bella found Jacob and traded a few quick words with him. He handed her something then she headed out the back door where the buses were parked.

I casually wandered over to Jake. "Hey man, what's up with Bella?"

"I don't know she looked sick or something."

"Yeah…what did she want?"

"She bummed a smoke off me. I didn't even know she smoked."

"Weird," I said, already leaving him to follow Bella. I found her in the shadow of the busses leaning against a wall. In her dark clothing, the red glow from the end of her cigarette was the only thing that gave her away. She took a long drag and held it before exhaling a thin stream of smoke slowly.

"Bella, what are you doing out here? Where's Alice?"

She jumped at the sound of my voice and turned toward me. It was odd to see her alone. Since they started with us, I rarely saw them apart for more than five minutes while they were working. It seemed that everything they did was in tandem. She shuffled her feet and tried to hide the lit cigarette. Realizing it was futile, she sighed and took another drag, I saw her hand shaking slightly.

"Alice ran back to the hotel. I… just needed some air."

"You won't get much if you keep that up," I said, gesturing to the cigarette. "I didn't know you smoked."

"I used to; I quit a few years ago. I just needed a mental health break." She smiled and looked very calm, but her eyes gave her away. She looked a little like a cornered animal. I watched as she raised her hand for another drag but lower it again when she noticed the shaking. Her eyes fell to her feet as she kicked at the dirt. I'd never felt so protective before, but I fought the instinct to wrap my arms around her. I still didn't know if I wasn't part of the problem.

"Well, I just needed to head back to the bus, I forgot my phone. You sure you're okay?"

"Absolutely fine, thanks. Hey, Edward?" she hesitated. "If you see Alice, um… don't mention you saw me here. Please?"

I nodded and headed toward the door of the bus.

A few minutes later, I was back inside, trying to distract myself when Alice found me.

"Edward, have you seen Bella anywhere?" Her ordinarily light and airy tone was laced with panic.

"No, I haven't, sorry," I replied, still mystified that Bella seemed to be avoiding Alice. This can't be about me. I could understand Bella being upset about what I'd said, but Alice's reaction made no sense. Perhaps they were fighting?

I watched the scowl grow on Alice's face and debated if I had any right to get involved between the two friends. As I was considering, the look on Bella's face came back into my mind again, and I was sure that this wasn't just a simple spat. Alice had turned away and was obviously planning on checking the dressing rooms for her friend.

"Alice?" I called to her. "I most certainly did not see Bella smoking by the buses, and she definitely didn't ask me not to tell you that she was there."

Alice sighed deeply as the panic faded from her face leaving a mix of worry and anger.

"Thank you," she murmured with a frowned as she rushed past me. I watched her go and forced myself not to follow.

In the four months since they'd joined us on the road, they'd always been very private. Not closed off, they just didn't share a lot about their personal lives unless asked directly. Even then, they kept answers short and to the point.

One of the things we all agreed on was how nice it was that Alice and Bella didn't need hand-holding. Once we'd made it clear to them that we wanted them to take the lead on their projects, we didn't have to worry about any of it until something was ready to be approved before going to be finalized. We didn't need to stroke their egos and make sure everything was okay. They were comfortable coming to us if they needed something, and we knew things were okay unless we heard differently.

I tried to reassure myself that this time was no different. If they needed help, they would come to us. Despite my worry, a small smile came to my lips when I thought back to the first show on the tour.

Jacob had condescendingly told Bella and Alice to run along and do their nails when they offered to lend a hand with teardown. Alice had glared at him, and I was honestly worried that she was going to hit him. Instead, she sauntered off with Bella in tow, looking just as surly.

The next day, Jacob had woken up with a wonderful blood-red manicure on his left hand. I knew for a fact he slept with half of his body hanging out of the bunk, and the girls took advantage of that fact to show Jake exactly where he could shove his nail polish. Jake hadn't noticed until he joined us for breakfast.

He was mortified, and Alice held her ground, refusing to give him the nail polish remover until he admitted he was an ass and apologized to them. If Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, or I had any second thoughts about bringing them on board, they were gone that morning. They dealt with Jacob and done it with a touch of class. Of course, he didn't feel quite as positive about the incident, but he'd gotten over it. He’d never mouthed off to them again.

I sighed. The fact that I knew little of Bella's personal history had never bothered me before. I figured that eventually, she’d open up. Jasper walked up behind me quietly, watching the small black-haired woman disappear through the doors.

"What's that look about? Something wrong?"

"I don't know. Something's up with the girls."

"What do you mean? Work stuff?" he asked as his brow furrowed.

"No, not work. I don't think anyway. I don't know, something is just wrong." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"Serious?"

"No idea. Come on, we need to get out of here, doors are about to open."

He nodded and seemed as reluctant as I was to turn from the door Alice had just disappeared through.

-==\\\//==-


	11. Rum and Coke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.
> 
> Original betas for this chapter: LuluM and LouderThanSirens

**Chapter Eleven**  
Rum and Coke

_Alice POV_

After Bella assured me for the twenty-fourth time that she didn't want to talk about what happened, and that she "really, honestly, just wanted some time to herself," I headed to the hotel bar.

I gave the bartender my order and tossed him a ten.

I was generally an easy-going person. Bella might say it's because anyone who knew me knew enough to stay out of my way, but honestly, I just didn't let much drag me down. If I had a problem, I went around it. If someone was a pain in the ass to work with, I didn't work with them again. It was a simple approach to life.

Too bad it didn't work with everything. When I returned to the venue with the extra batteries we'd forgotten and saw James lounging outside, I knew things were about to get complicated. I had hoped that he hadn't found Bella yet, but when I couldn't find her in the venue, my gut started twisting. When Edward told me she was out back, hiding, and _smoking_ , I realized that the situation was already past complicated. Bella hadn't smoked since the last time her stress levels were out of control.

A hand reached out and picked up my drink, startling me out of my reverie. Jasper took a swig from my glass and put it back in front of me.

"Rum and coke? That's not your usual party drink."

"Tonight's not my usual party," I mumbled into my ice cubes.

"Yeah, I noticed. You both disappeared right after the show, and I swear Edward is going to wear out his shoes with all the pacing he's been doing tonight. What the hell is going on? He said something weird happened today."

I sighed. "It's a long story, Jasper. And it's all personal, I swear. Don't worry, we'd never let it distract us."

"Alice," he retorted. "You think _that's_ what I'm worried about? A missed deadline? How long have you known me now?"

"No, sorry, of course, it's not. Really, we're just pretty ingrained in the habit of not mixing business with personal stuff."

He winced, and I realized that was probably a little too much honesty for the moment. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. "You look like you need to talk. I know Bella is an excellent friend, but she's not your only one. I don't think I've ever seen you look this depressed before. It's heartbreaking."

I sighed again and looked for answers in my drink. I really did need someone to talk to, someone who wasn't going to shut down at the mere mention of James' name. Jasper took a stool beside me. "I can share some juicy stuff about Edward in trade. You wouldn't believe some of the things he's done."

I couldn't help it. I chuckled. "Fine, I'll give you the story. Bella knows that you need to know her history now, but she’s not happy about it, to put it mildly. It goes against every rule, everything we’ve built to bring our personal stuff to the job. It’s out of our hands now, though. You guys need to know, and Bella is absolutely mortified at the thought. If James is back, it could be a real security issue. Even Bella agrees with that.

“She’s still convinced that people will look down on her if they know. She's embarrassed that she ever got caught up with him at all. The whole situation makes her feel weak. I don't know if she doesn't want to lay her problems on someone else's shoulders, or if she still sees James as her own personal failure.” Apparently, I really did need to talk to someone because I went from clammed up to verbal vomit in about two seconds flat.

"Okay. Slow down. Start at the beginning. Who the hell is James?"

"Bella's ex-husband."

He raised an eyebrow and took my elbow to lead me toward the back of the bar. "When it comes up, you can tell her I plied you with liquor." He smiled and motioned to the bartender for two more drinks.

"Spill it," he said as he passed me a fresh drink and settled in on his side of the booth.

I took a deep breath and tried to push aside the feeling that I was betraying my friend's confidence even though she had agreed that this may be necessary. "Bella and I have been friends as long our whole lives. Our parents were close friends, our mothers were pregnant with us at the same time. We went to the same daycare, the same pre-school, everything. We’re practically sisters. When I was fifteen, my parents and younger sister died in a car accident."

"Oh, Alice, I'm so sorry."

I smiled sadly at him. "Thank you. Charlie and Renee, Bella's parents, took me in and raised me. It helped a lot that I still had a whole family that loved me after the accident. They got me through it, and I'll always be grateful to them.

"After high school, Bella and I went to VCU. She majored in computer arts. Websites, video, digital editing, all that geek stuff she loves so much. I went into a more traditional line. I'm a tactile person. I love the feel of paper under my fingers or a piece of fabric in my hand. Digital photos are handy, but they'll never match the magic you can make in a darkroom. I can design a whole room in my head from one touch of a decadent fabric and a decent color pallet. Then I'll photograph that room for a magazine spread.

"I ended up going to Paris in my final year for an internship with a fashion designer there. I learned so much. It was an amazingly overwhelming experience." I realized I was starting to wax nostalgic and got back on track.

"Bella stayed in the states while I did my internship in Paris. She got a job at a top design firm in Richmond, working on web and television projects. That's where she met James." Even his name was foul in my mouth.

I took another drink and continued. "We wrote to each other constantly at first. Not a day went by that I didn't get an email. Usually, it was two or three, and I sent just as many. But within a month, the emails slowed down, and they got less forthcoming. With the time difference and my hectic schedule, I didn't have a lot of time for calls, but even if I did, she was never home or didn't answer."

"At first, I figured she was busy with work, but it just didn't seem right. Eventually, I emailed Renee, but she wasn't hearing from her either. Bella had told her that she was working on a big project, and that was keeping her busy. I knew that was a load of crap. You might have noticed that Bella is a workaholic. The idea that she wouldn't have time to email me was absolutely ridiculous."

Jasper chuckled and nodded again. "For the first week, I thought she was surgically attached to her laptop."

"Exactly! Bella emails like other people breathe. But there was nothing I could do from Paris. In my last three months there, I got two emails. Both said little more than the fact that she was alive and busy working.

"I flew back to the states and met Charlie and Renee at the airport. When Bella didn't show up with them to meet me, I knew something was really wrong. I think that was the first time it hit Mom and Dad, too. They knew something was up, of course, but they didn't know what to do about it. Bella is very skilled at placating people.

"I went back home, slept for a day, jumped into my car, and went to Bella's apartment in the city. Charlie and Renee wanted to come with me, but I convinced them that it would be best for me to go alone first and try to figure out what she was up to.

"I knocked every half hour for the entire day, and no one answered. I parked myself outside her door and waited, knowing that eventually, she would have to come home. She can live out of that laptop bag as she will proudly tell you, but eventually, she needs to restock and shower. I was going to wait as long as it took.

"Imagine my surprise as James sauntered up to the door and started unlocking it. It was a quick conversation. I asked who he was, he asked who I was. Then he denied knowing who Bella was, and that was when things got interesting.

"I made a show of checking the number on the door, then turned to him. 'Well, this apartment is leased to Bella Swan, and according to her bank account, she’s still paying the bills. If I don't see her in 30 seconds, I am calling the police, and believe me, by the time they get here, you'll wish they'd been faster.' I meant every word, too. I was ready to go through him to find her.

"He laughed in my face, which just pissed me off. Then he opened the door and gestured grandly like a game show host. In the dark apartment, I could see her sitting on the couch. She was thin and pale, there just was no spark left in her. It looked like she hadn't seen daylight in months. As it turned out, she hadn't. She waved at me hesitantly. I looked at her again, and then I slugged James.

"I broke his jaw, too," I remembered proudly. Jasper looked appropriately impressed.

"He was less than pleased at that, of course, and slammed the door in my face after calling me all kinds of colorful names.

"I called Charlie and explained the situation. He's the Chief of Police in our town. I don't think James knew that. Charlie called in a couple of favors to the Richmond police chief, and within fifteen minutes, Renee, Charlie, and a handful of police cars were at the apartment. It's a twenty-five-minute drive to Richmond from our house, so I was impressed."

"He hit her?" Jasper seethed.

"I’m not sure. If he did, I don’t think he did it often. God, that sounds so horrible, like there’s a threshold on how often a beating is acceptable." I frowned. "What I mean is that I think that it would have been easier for her to deal with physical abuse alone. I don’t think he could have twisted pure violence and intimidation to be her fault. What he did was much more insidious. He isolated her and manipulated her. He took her support system away from her slowly until she didn't have anywhere to turn. He didn't even leave her with a phone in the apartment. The apartment door was dead-bolted, and she had no key. That's why she wouldn't answer.

"I know it’s a classic playbook for men like that, but he adapted it for Bella perfectly. I don't know everything he did, because she still won’t tell me the full story. I do know that she felt ashamed that she was in as deep as she was. He’d twisted everything in her head so much that she didn't want to drag any of us into her mess. She knew it was wrong on some level, but he also convinced her that she was the cause and that somehow, she could fix it and make everything better.

"That's part of the reason I'm so hard on her when she starts to withdraw. She goes back to that place in her head, and it scares me. James is a master manipulator, but he specialized in making Bella feel like crap. She'll deny it, but no matter what I tell her, I know that on some level she's still convinced to this day that she's selfish and 'high maintenance.'"

He looked back at me in disbelief.

I laughed bitterly and swished my drink again. "Yeah, I know, not exactly the Bella you've come to know, right? But he had a way of dumping all his crap on her, and she believed it. Bella's the caretaker type; she doesn't know how to not take care of the people in her life. When she tried to give him what he needed, and he turned out to be a sucking black hole, she was at a bit of a loss. She has a good heart, and he used it against her." I didn't even bother trying to keep the venom from my voice as I filled Jasper in on the wondrous monstrosity that was James.

"He must not have been too happy with you."

"No, he was not happy with any of us. When Renee and I pulled her into the bedroom to get answers, Charlie stood outside the door with his hand on his gun and stared James down.

"James may be scum, but he wasn't stupid enough to take on Charlie that night. Bella was incoherent, and did nothing but apologize for the first half-hour we were there. It crushed me to see her like that, and I swear, Jasper, I've never wanted to hurt a man as much as I did that night.

"Well, more than I already had anyway." I laughed bitterly.

"Anyway, we slowly pulled the basic story out of her. She met James almost as soon as she started at her new company. Within a month, he had romanced her and won her over, talking her into flying with him to Vegas to marry him.

"He was her boss, that's how he convinced her not to tell any of us about him at the beginning. He didn't want either of them to get in trouble or lose their jobs. Slowly he started working on her, isolating her. In no time, she was working entirely from home, and he monitored everything she did.

"He told her that after they were married, they could announce things properly. Then, he said that he was still worried since she was technically his junior people would think badly of her. Next, it was that she was younger and had less seniority in the company, she had more prospects, and she should be the one to leave her job. Finally, because she wasn't working, he convinced her that she should help him with his work. He took control of every part of her, piece by piece. He painted grand scenarios about how they would reveal their relationship and their working partnership in grandiose announcements. I'm sure you won't be shocked to find out those announcements never came. He kept putting it off for one reason or another.

"James had her convinced that he was honestly doing everything for the two of them, rather than for himself. She's a romantic, well, she used to be. She believed that marriage meant forever and that there was such a thing as true love. I don't think she believes that anymore." I sighed sadly, remembering all the times I teased her for being such a softie and all her old fashioned romantic notions. I wished now that she still had them.

"It was just another thing he used against her. He convinced her that she was the reason he wasn't happy in their marriage. She wasn't trying hard enough. She even begged Renee to forgive her for letting her down and pleaded with her not to be disappointed. Renee almost lost it at that point. Charlie had to have an officer take her outside before she tried to kill James herself.

"It didn't take long for Bella to see things more clearly once we got her away from James and started to talk some sense into her. Abuse is never about the intelligence of the victim, it’s phycological warfare pure and simple, and eventually, it will work on pretty much anyone. When we got through to her, and she understood what he really was. We got a restraining order against him, but there wasn't much we could do in the way of pressing charges. When I go to her, there were no injuries. She hadn’t filed complaints, there was no proof that he’d done anything illegal. Charlie was pushing her to press charges, he was convinced they could get him on unlawful confinement or something similar, but she just didn’t’ have the will to pursue it. I don't think Charlie and Renee will ever forgive themselves for not stepping in sooner.

"They were worried about her, but they were trying to give her space. They thought that she was pulling away like kids do when they leave home. She was making a life for herself, and they didn't want to crowd her." I frowned at the table as I traced the rings of water left by my drink. When I looked up again, Jasper's intense blue eyes were filled with sadness and compassion.

"James wanted to press charges against me." I vividly remembered his protests towards the officers that night.

"Really? I'm guessing he changed his mind? Did Charlie 'persuade' him?"

"Nope!" I said, trying to control my laughter. "As we were leaving with Bella, James went to one of the officers and demanded that he arrest me and press charges for assault. The officer wasn't stupid. He knew what was going on, and he had James’ number in an instant. The officer got out his report book.

"'Alright sir, tell me exactly what happened when you were assaulted,' the officer said to him with complete professionalism.

"James, the master of manipulation that he thought he was, figured everything was well under his control and started relaying his version of the assault. Of course, he was the innocent victim, and I was the big bad monster." I snorted.

"The officer nodded in all the right places and continued to take down James' story.

'How tall are you, sir?' the officer asked him.

'6' 5'

'And how much do you weigh?'

'225 pounds.'

"By this time, James was starting to look confused. The officer turned to assess me. He winked at me, and I would have laughed if I wasn't still so pissed at James.

The officer turned back to James. 'Sir, you want me to put in writing that a hundred-pound woman broke your jaw?'

"James looked like a tea kettle; I swear, I saw steam coming out of his ears. The only thing stronger than his anger at that point was his pride, and the officer knew it. Of course, he changed his mind on the charges, and we all went home. The thing was if he hadn’t been so sensitive about his ego, I would have been in trouble.

"You actually broke his jaw?" Jasper asked and looked impressed again.

"Hell, yes. I do Taekwondo, have been for years. Everyone looks at me and thinks I'm a delicate little flower. It doesn't bother me, and I let them, but I can take care of myself if I need to." I looked up to see Jasper's stunned face and his mouth hanging open a little.

"Honestly, I'm prepping for my 1st-degree black belt." I narrowed my eyes at him. "I can give you a demonstration if you don't believe me." I was so used to people not taking me seriously that it rarely bothered me anymore, but I'd expected more from him.

"Oh no, I believe you, you just… well, I'm impressed. Let's leave it at that. But I may take you up on the demonstration when there's less alcohol involved." He took a long drink.

"At least one good thing came out of it all," I said as he looked at me quizzically.

"Esme." I smiled. "She had her share of professional run-ins with James in the past. She knew his M.O., and when he tried blackballing Bella, Esme noticed and took Bella under her wing. She doesn’t know the story, but she’s a smart lady. She knows something happened, and her guess is probably pretty close to reality, but she never pushed Bella for details.

"Ironically, it's how all of this got started for us." I gestured vaguely in the direction of the hotel lobby.

Jasper warmed at Esme's name. "She's fantastic, isn't she? She mothers everyone the entire time we're touring. Believe it or not, the label is terrified of her. Apparently, she can make them do practically anything she demands, but I've never heard her raise her voice. I think if we wanted to sleep on piles of feathers and shower in imported bottled water every day, she would make it happen."

"I have no problem imagining that. She'd also probably manage to make them think that paying for it would be good for them, too."

"Precisely." He laughed with me. "So this stuff with James, was what three or four years ago? Was that the end of James?"

"Yeah, it's been just over four years. Between the restraining order and Charlie threatening to shoot him if he ever saw him on his property, James didn't have much choice but to leave Bella alone. Until today anyway."

"What happened today?"

"I'm not sure. Bella won't tell me everything yet. She just keeps insisting it was nothing. Which means it was anything but."

I absentmindedly stirred my drink. I felt a lot better having unloaded all of this onto Jasper, but my ice cubes still refused to reveal any secrets of the universe. Tomorrow we were moving to the next city, but this leg of the tour was packed pretty tightly, and James could easily follow us for an uncomfortable amount of time. I was going to have to make some calls and see what he had been up to in the last few years. I sighed and almost wished my biggest problem was still being caught staring at Jasper's ass.

"Alice?" he said softly. I flinched as I realized that he'd been staring at me.

"Sorry, I got lost for a minute there."

"Can I ask you something?"

"I think that's fair since I've been monopolizing the entire conversation since you got here."

"You mentioned something earlier that has me very curious."

"Ok," I said hesitantly, feeling suddenly exposed under the probing look that had come into his eyes.

"You said that you two were in the habit of not mixing business with personal stuff, and then you mentioned breaking one of your rules. Why all the mystery? From the sound of it, you haven't left a string of murders or bank robberies in your wake."

Yep, he pretty much cut to the center of it. It was one of the reasons I was really starting to care for Jasper. He had such an unassuming and relaxed manner about him. It was easy to think he skimmed over everything, but in reality, he caught every nuance of a situation. I had a feeling he was as used to being underestimated as I was.

After everything I shared tonight, there wasn’t really any point in trying to get out of the question. My mental walls were worn down by the stress of the day and all the memories I’d dredged up. Keeping that careful distance Bella and I always worked to maintain was getting very difficult. It was a well-practiced habit, however, and one that wouldn't be easily abandoned.

"Well, none that you know of anyway," I shot back with a wickedly playful smile as I did my best to pull off the weak dodge. It was all I could muster in my worn-down state. He frowned, and I sighed.

"Truth?" I asked tiredly

"Please."

"You might think it's silly, but it's not easy to be female in this business. If someone isn't looking at you like a piece of meat or wondering who you slept with to get your job, they're treating you with kid gloves. Or they're mortified you're going to be traveling with them. Tampons and bras are suddenly every bit as bad as weapons of mass destruction. It doesn't matter than no one has to see them. Everyone just knows that they're there, and they're dangerous."

Jasper snorted in amusement.

"And nothing, nothing can wreck a perfectly good working relationship like sexual tension or, god forbid, a one night stand. We've seen it happen many times, so we carefully put on the image that we're one of the guys.

“We're not prissy. I've participated in belching contests, you know. Bella has too, although I actually won one. I had a secret weapon that night, I was drinking Guinness." Jasper seemed very entertained at that thought.

"Short of being able to write our names in the snow, we can keep up with the boys pretty well. We've never been with a tour this long, though, and I don't think we were quite prepared for how close everyone got. Usually, we have a couple of days to convince everyone that we won't be getting into catfights over the curling iron, and then we're home a couple of weeks after that. It's just easier to be one dimensional and keep it simple.

"I really didn't mean to offend you. We don't look at this as just another job. You really should know that. This has been the best group we've toured with, and it's not like we can't be ourselves; old habits just die hard, I guess," I finished lamely.

"I wasn't offended. I was just a little taken aback, but now that you've explained, I do understand. I also happen to appreciate the fact that it's harder for women in this business, especially on the road. Good god, between bunk socks and female fans throwing themselves at anything male, I'm surprised you even bother with it."

"Don't even get me started on the sex for favors thing. They're not above offering services to anyone if they think it'll get them closer to the band," I said with a shudder.

“Wait a minute. Are you saying that they…"

"Alright, this is where I say goodnight! These topics are best not explored when slightly buzzed and utterly exhausted," I said emphatically and stood.

"More rules?"

"No, just common sense." I laughed.

"I'll walk with you. I need to head up, too."

We went up to our floor in silence. Even with my emotional and physical exhaustion, I could feel the energy buzz around us. Our eyes met through the reflection in the doors, and Jasper smiled brilliantly. My stomach did a nervous flip. On any other day, I would have been jumping for joy and pushing boundaries, but tonight had just been too much, and I was shutting down.

We stepped out of the elevator and walked towards our rooms. As we approached, Jasper put his hand on mine to stop me from opening the door, and a jolt of excitement went up my spine. Apparently, my body wasn't entirely on board with the whole shutting down plan.

"Alice, Edward is really concerned about Bella. How much of what we discussed tonight can I tell him?"

I frowned and stared at his hand on mine. Bella had nothing to be ashamed of, but having it all forced out in the open wasn’t ideal. She didn’t need another setback. When we’d discussed it, she reluctantly agreed that a few people would need to know the whole truth, but she wasn’t ready to tell the story. At the very least, Edward would need some sort of explanation since he seemed to catch her mid-meltdown.

I looked up at Jasper, willing myself not to lose focus. "All of it. You guys do need to know. James didn't have a chance to try anything after we got Bella back, but he’s not particularly stable. There isn't much I'd put past him. Just keep it on a need to know basis. Like I said, she has no reason to be ashamed, but she doesn't want everyone knowing." I steeled myself for what I had to say next. I didn't want to do him the disservice of questioning his intentions or Edward's, but Bella meant too much to me not to put it out there.

"Jasper, I really like you, all of you. You're great people, and I value all of our friendships. But you need to know that it won't stop me if Edward hurts her. I'll deal with him and anyone else if they hurt her…even you." I turned back to my room and went inside and finally gave in to my exhaustion by falling into bed fully clothed.

The next afternoon, I was in a cab and on my way to a local mall for our weekly stock-up of miscellaneous supplies. Bella was back to being herself for the most part and had stayed behind to complete website updates and some expense reports. I knew she was putting on a good show and that eventually, I would need to pull what happened out of her, but I wanted to give her some time to process it alone.

I was surprised at how well I'd slept last night. I had expected to be tossing and turning as my worry got the better of me, but talking everything out with Jasper really did help. Even if I was no closer to any solutions, he allowed me to get everything off my chest. I knew I explained to him what I meant by not wanting to mix business and personal stuff, and obviously, I didn't take my own advice anyway, but I still felt guilty when I remembered the hurt on his face after I'd said it.

I decided that I needed to do something to show him how much I appreciated what he did. I also still felt a slight twinge of guilt at threatening them both, even though he probably thought I was joking. I needed a gift to cover all that, and by the time the cab dropped me off at the Mall, I had settled on just the thing. I consulted my list a final time before returning to the hotel. I left Jasper's gift at the front desk and happily returned to my room.

-==\\\//==-

_Jasper POV_

I stood frozen as I watched Alice disappear into the dark hotel room she shared with Bella. I wasn't surprised at the threat. It had given me a swell of pride, knowing how loyal and protective she was. What had given me a cold chill was the fact that I knew she had meant it with every fiber of her being.

I wasn't a barroom brawler. I didn't go looking for fights, but I had been around enough to know when someone was talking shit and when they meant it. I had no doubt Alice intended to make good on what she'd said if she needed to. That, coupled with her martial arts knowledge, was enough to know this wasn't just an idle threat.

My mind wandered back to our conversation. She interpreted my reaction to her Taekwondo knowledge as disbelief, but that was probably better than the truth. In reality, I was stunned by how much the thought of sparring with her turned me on.

I sighed deeply and ran a hand through my hair. It was time to fill Edward in on everything; hopefully, he wasn't climbing the walls yet. On my way to his room, I pondered the crap hand life could deal. Bella and Alice were good people, and they had both been sideswiped by shitty circumstances more than once.

I knocked lightly on the slight chance he was sleeping. The door opened quickly, and his face fell. I wasn't who he was hoping to see, but I could shed some light on things.

"Go sit down. I've been talking to Alice." Crossing the room, I began to raid his mini-bar. I took out a few various bottles, sure that in a few minutes, he wouldn't care what he was drinking.

"That bad?" Edward said hesitantly.

"Yeah," I replied. Placing the bottles and a glass in front of him. I took a seat on the bed across the room and launched into the story starting at the same place Alice did. I quickly relayed their family circumstance and schooling. When I got to Alice slugging James, he downed the first bottle.

By the time I was finished, he had downed two more and was pacing angrily.

"I wish she'd broken more than his fucking jaw," he spat.

"I think she does too, especially after today."

Edward paled and retook his seat. "What happened today then?"

"She doesn't know. Bella won't tell her yet. After Alice’s explanation, I don't think much needed to happen to set Bella off. They both thought he was history."

He exhaled forcefully and lowered his head into his hands. After a moment, he jumped up again. "So, what can I do? What can we do?" His eyes had a pleading look, and I empathized with his helplessness.

"Nothing right now. She needs time. If Alice's reluctance was any measure, I doubt she's going to be thrilled that we even know."

He snorted. "Well, that's just stupid."

"Think about it. We know Bella’s a very private, self-reliant person. She’s used to taking care of everyone else rather than being taken care of. That first night we all went out together before they even knew us, she was taking care of you when you passed out. On every level, she's going to feel exposed and uncomfortable. Of course, we're not going to think badly of her because of some manipulative asshole, but I don't think she sees it that way." I knew that I was better than the average male at reading emotional situations, but this whole thing was a no brainer.

Edward sighed and nodded, knowing that what I was making sense even if he didn’t like it. He knew Bella better than I did, so he already knew all of this. Everything was telling him to go to her, comfort her, but she wasn’t ready.

I told him about the last part of my conversation with Alice then, about how they had always worked to keep themselves distant, and how hard they worked to put out the image of being just one of the guys. I saw that this clicked for him as much as it had for me.

"Remember when girls would throw themselves at us? Man, I never thought I'd be wishing for that again," he said with a sigh, sinking back in his chair again.

"They still do. We just don't notice it anymore because we don't want those girls," I said wryly. I'd got his sentiment, though. It was a bitter irony that the two women we'd fallen for seemed intent on keeping us out.

I shook my head and looked at the clock. "Fuck me. I'm crashing on the bus. I'm not waking up in two hours to haul my ass out there. We're supposed to leave early tomorrow."

Edward shook himself from his thoughts and agreed, saying he was going to grab a shower and make his way down after he'd packed up. I dragged myself back to my room, it had been a long time since I'd had a day feel this long.

The next morning, or afternoon rather, I rolled out of my bunk and felt the disorientation of waking up in a different city than you went to sleep in. I hated sleeping while we were driving, but it was a necessary evil.

I kicked Edward on the way out front and told him the time. We'd need to leave for the venue in an hour or so if we wanted to do soundcheck today. He was a whiny bitch when he missed it. So was I for that matter, but I wasn't about to give him that one.

My thoughts drifted back to Alice last night. I was pretty good at sizing people up, and their motivations rarely took me by surprise. Alice was consistently proving to be the exception to that, and since you couldn't figure one out without relating the other, Bella had proved to be a bit of a mystery as well.

At first, I had Alice pegged as a good-natured but somewhat scatterbrained assistant type. No doubt, she did her job well, but it seemed that Bella was the one who had everything in line and kept Alice's tornado of energy where it needed to be.

As I watched them, though, I saw that wasn't the case. Alice pulled Bella along just as much as Bella focused Alice. They worked together like two sides of the same coin. Bella's intensity brought attention to the details of a project, while Alice's broad view made sure the bigger focus was where it needed to be.

Still, last night I had seen something even more profound than all of that surface energy. I was quite sure at this point that the version of Alice the world got to see was very different than the one Bella and her family knew. When I saw her sitting at the bar, it was like catching a hummingbird at rest. She looked so preoccupied and sad, I had to go to her and see if I could help.

Even with the circumstances, I felt lucky to have finally seen that side of her. For the first time, I felt like I knew a little part of who Alice really was, and there was no denying that I was enthralled. She was thoughtful, strong, and fiercely protective of her family. I also got to figure out why I was continually off-balance around her and Bella. They had carefully crafted shallow personas that they showed to everyone, and they were definitely experts at their parts.

I huffed in annoyance as I remembered her comment about not mixing business and personal. I may have understood their reasons, but it didn't stop the fact that it made me feel like they were treating us like typical oversexed musicians.

I stopped at the check-in desk to get my messages before going to my room to grab a quick shower. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my missed calls as the clerk checked.

"A woman left this for you about an hour ago," the young woman said cheerily as she handed me a box wrapped in black paper and a simple, rich purple ribbon. There was a card attached. I took the box from her apprehensively and glanced around. There weren’t any fans milling about, and if our hotel had been found, there definitely would have been.

I tucked the box under my arm, picked up my bag, and headed for the elevators. When I got to my room, I tossed everything on the bed and took a closer look at the mystery box. I figured it was safest to start with the card. It was hard to hide anything too dangerous in a card, right? My battered psyche protested with memories of unsolicited photos that had been delivered with cards in the past. I shuddered and turned my attention back to the purple envelope.

_Jasper,_

_You were right. I needed a friend and a good talk._

_Thank you for both._

_I'm here to return the favor if you need it._

_A._

I smiled and unwrapped the package eagerly. I expected a shirt or some similar wardrobe enhancing item. Alice's love of fashion was not a secret at this point, but she had good taste, and I would probably love whatever she picked out.

I was wrong again, though, and wondered if she would ever stop surprising me as I ran my fingers over the wood grain of the box in front of me. I read the engraved plaque on the top:

_In case of emergency  
Or personal crisis,  
Open box and call  
804-555-7389_

I open the box and laughed.

Inside was an exquisite bottle of rum, two cans of coke, and two tumblers.

Yes, I definitely would be getting to know Alice better.

-==\\\//==-


	12. Moving Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.
> 
> Original betas for this chapter: LuluM and LouderThanSirens

**Chapter Twelve**  
Moving Forward

_Edward POV_

Laughter drifted into the quiet hallway as I neared their room yet again. This was the third time I'd walked down this hall on my "trip for ice." The cleaning lady was starting to give me funny looks. I stopped at their door and took a deep breath before knocking. Alice's laughter got louder as she approached.

"My ears are bleeding. Stop it," she said from the other side of the door.

Alice found my puzzled face quite humorous as she fell into a fresh fit of giggles. Apparently, Bella thought this was directed at her because the next sound was her shouting from the bathroom.

"As long as you keep laughing at me, I'm going to keep singing. I promise you I can get much, much worse. I do a mean Jasper impression, you know!"

Alice's eyes lit up with mischief in a way the Devil himself would have admired. She looked up at me and held a finger up to her lips.

"Actually, Edward just came to the door. He says that Jasper has been hinting at a vacation. He heard you from the hall and wants to know if you'll take over."

"Sure, but don't blame me if I convert all their fans, and they forget Jasper forever. I am one sexy bitch, after all."

"I'll make sure to outline the dangers to him."

"I think I could manage to hang out with a hot, sweaty, and sometimes shirtless Edward and be paid for it. That would probably be the only thing that would top this job."

"Bella, you…"

"Oh, and since he's here…Edward, I need someone to wash my back. You game?"

"Bella, stop."

Now, I knew that Alice had only meant to tease Bella a bit and not embarrass her horribly, but I couldn't help it. I could barely contain myself. "I could definitely handle soaping up a sexy bitch. That's about the only thing that could top _my_ job."

I heard the distinct sound of a bar of soap hitting the tub floor.

"Edward?" Bella's timid voice asked at a barely audible volume.

"Yes, Bella?" At this point, I would have sworn on a bible that her blush was actually visible from the hallway. With an intense blush like hers, I would have been willing to bet it didn't stop at her face. I could imagine the path it would take all too clearly. The deep red color traveling down the soft curve of her neck then spreading out along her collarbones…

I shook my head to rid myself of that line of thinking, as pleasant as it was.

"I… uh… what are you doing here?" she called over the water.

"Does that mean the backwashing offer is off the table?" I didn't have to work very hard to sound disappointed. I stared at the steam as it drifted out of the cracked open door that taunted me.

"Edward!"

I laughed, knowing I would be paying for this at a later date if I took it much farther. "I stopped to invite you to breakfast. There's a nice place down the street here. I'd invite you too, Alice, but Jasper said you were going running with him."

She smiled slyly, and I guessed that she knew I had every intention of getting a little time alone with Bella - run or no run.

Alice and I waited for Bella's reply but heard nothing except running water. I looked at the pixie with a raised eyebrow. She sighed and shook her head.

"Of course, Bella would _love_ to go to breakfast with you, Edward. I'll send her to your room when she's ready."

Alice shooed me out and closed the door before I could hear Bella's reaction to Alice's acceptance on her behalf. I basked in the glow of the hot and shirtless comment from moments before. I was also reasonably sure that she was enjoying the chase and my attention, but it still was nice to get a clear signal, when she was sober, at least once. I fully understood that her reluctance was a complex issue because of her history. It certainly wasn't helped by her embarrassment, but the silence that met my invitation had been like a bucket of ice water to my ego.

I had been pretty forthcoming on my interest, it went against my nature to be coy about it. The shy reluctance was new territory to me. Most of the women in my past were confident in what they wanted and not afraid to go after it. Bella was reserved and hard to read. There was definitely interest, but also walls and defenses to keep away. She was friendly, warm, and very caring towards others when they needed it, but when it came to herself, she wouldn't let anyone take care of her, even just to rest her burdens on someone else's shoulders for a moment.

From what Jasper had said the night after James had unexpectedly shown up, even Alice and her family had to fight to get Bella to open up to them after what happened. I wondered if she understood how much she hurt them by shutting them out.

The maid shot me another suspicious look as I fumbled with my card. I scowled, and she scurried away. Had she never seen someone who needed a lot of ice before? S _hit, I forgot the ice bucket_ –ok, so maybe the maid had some justification in being suspicious of me. I probably looked like a stalker or something. After tossing the card on the dresser, I fell back onto the large bed and lost myself in my musings.

Bella had been quiet the day after James showed up, but that was the only sign that something was off, and she regrouped quickly. It had been almost a week since he made his appearance, and for all intents and purposes, Bella was back to normal...as long as you didn't look too closely.

Sometimes I would catch her as she stared off into space with a haunted look. I also noticed that whenever this would happen, she would push herself harder for the rest of the day, picking up any job that would keep her busy until she exhausted herself and finally turned in for the night.

I was positive that she was avoiding the ‘James fallout,’ but I wasn't sure if Alice was trying to get her to talk about it or not. Alice didn't share, and I was trying to respect what privacy they had left. Their confidence was a gift, even if reluctantly given, I would do everything to show them it hadn’t been a mistake.

Alice was entirely correct in her reasoning that we needed to know. Although it might be a security issue for us, my focus was on making it as hard as possible for James to get near Bella again. We had passed the full story along to Emmett and Carlisle the next day and decided that Esme and Rose should also know. Everyone else would just get a memo and a photo instructing them to keep eyes out for James and notify security if they saw him. 

It was selfish, and I had no right to expect Bella to come to me directly with her past, but I wanted her to trust me and _talk to me_. I didn't want to have to hear things second hand and at a distance.

"Why can't anything ever be easy?" I muttered to the ceiling, not expecting the answer I got.

"Because if it was easy, it wouldn't be worth it."

"What the fuck?" I said as I bolted upright to see Jasper come strolling out of my bathroom, fully dressed and still drying his hair.

"Are you hiding in my bathroom on the off chance that you might have the opportunity to dispense sage advice? Because that's really creepy and very fucked up."

"Do you know how long it’s taken for it to work?” He rolled his eyes. “Ass. My room had no hot water. Instead of having them move me, I just used your room. I didn’t have time to wait for them to find another room. The sage advice thing just worked out nicely."

"Thanks, Obi-wan. Any other pearls of wisdom?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "A gem is not polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials."

"Now you sound like a fortune cookie. Why are you showering before you run?"

"Change of plans, Alice is taking me to a last-minute press thing. Local radio had someone bail on them. Esme jumped on the chance to get us on air with the show tonight and everything. It's only a quick interview; you and Emmett don't have to come unless you want to."

I made a face.

He nodded. "Hence the reason I didn't bother to include you in the plan. Well, that and Alice said you and Bella were going to breakfast."

"Ya, Alice said Bella was going to breakfast with me too."

"I thought you were going to go ask her yourself?"

"I was...I did! She didn't..." I let out a forcefull breath and shook my head to clear the fog of uncertainty Bella always brought to my head. "It's a long story. Just get ready and go already. I thought you were in a hurry?"

Jasper shrugged and disappeared back into the bathroom.

-==\\\//==-

_Bella POV_

"Stop dragging your feet, Bella. You wanted the man to soap up your naked body fifteen minutes ago, and now you're reluctant to share coffee with him?"

I felt my cheeks go bright red again at the memory. "You know very well why I don't want to see him right now."

Alice stopped abruptly and turned toward me. "I know you're not playing hard to get, but your signals are so mixed, Edward might as well be chasing after your Kitchen Aid. You're really hesitant, and God knows you have enough reasons to be, but I've watched you trying over the last little while. You want this, and he’s like a good guy. I think you should give him a chance. He's obviously head over heels for you. When you get scared, just remind yourself of one thing, Edward is not James."

I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment before I Alice's raised an eyebrow at me. She turned and continued to Jasper's room. She was right; I really wasn't playing hard to get with Edward. Honestly, I wasn't even all that hesitant about him. At least it wasn't anything I couldn't push through. What I was worried about was bringing him into my fucked up life. Now, with James showing up, ‘fucked up’ didn't even cover it.

James never had a problem conjuring up imaginary boyfriends for me. I cringed to think how he would react to a real one. As angry as it made me to believe that James still had any control over my life, was it right for me to put Edward in his path too?

Alice left me at Edward's door while she moved down the hall to Jasper's. I knocked and waited as my stomach practiced for Cirque du Soleil tryouts.

"Stop assaulting that lip, woman!" Alice called from three doors away.

I stuck my tongue out at her just as the door opened.

"It's definitely for you, Edward," Jasper said with a chuckle before he stuck his head into the hallway and waved Alice toward us.

"That's it, I’m going back to bed. The world is out to get me today," I muttered to my feet.

Edward was laughing now as he started moved toward the door. "Not before breakfast, you’re not. I've already been denied one supreme pleasure today. I will not miss out on a meal too." He winked as he put an arm around my shoulders. At least Jasper looked confused, so he must not know about the shower incident. I was sure that would be short-lived since Alice would be filling him in on the morning's events less than a half a second after the door closed.

I dropped my head in my hands and gave up on saving face. "Alright, let's get going then. Maybe I can set a record for the most embarrassing moments in a single day! Good luck with the interview, Jasper."

Alice gave us a wave/shooing motion as she started to fill Jasper in on the interview details. I was reveling in the feel of Edward's arm around me. We hadn't really touched since our drunken make-out session, and I quickly realized that my foggy memory did him no justice. His scent intoxicated me even though it was something I couldn't quite pin down. It might have been his soap, his shampoo, his aftershave, or perhaps a mix of all three. It was divine and distinctly Edward. It worked like a salve on my overwrought nervous system.

"Do you want to walk? It's only a couple of blocks."

"Sure, I could use the exercise."

"Right, because you running all over hell's half-acre every night really packs on the pounds."

"Well, I work for these slave drivers, you see. I gotta keep up with the workload."

"You should definitely put in a complaint. I'm sure at least one of them would give the matter his full attention."

We reached the elevator, and he removed his arm to push the button. It was all I could do not to sigh in disappointment at the loss of contact. As we left the hotel and walked down the quiet street, Alice's words echoed in my head. I didn't want to bring him into my mess of a life, but It was clear that I wasn't strong enough to be able to keep him out of it either.

All of the thoughts in my head were vying for attention. _What if he hurts me? What if I'm not good enough? What if everything James said was right? What if James comes back again? What if Edward gets in James’ way?_ A million questions all running through my head. _What if, what if, what if, what if,_ over and over again until I was ready to explode.

Then, the one question that I hadn't been able to get out of my head for weeks silenced all the doubts and fear.

_What if it works?_

I reached over, took his hand in mine, and gave it a squeeze. I pretended not to see his look of surprise or the shit-eating grin that followed it as we continued on to the restaurant. It was a start, but I was still planning to talk to him about the problems I could cause in his life.

When we arrived, the leggy blonde waitress showed us to our seat and positively drooled over Edward. Unfortunately for her, he was far too intent on me to notice anything she did. After taking our drink orders, she left our menus and stalked off in a huff, which caused me to smile.

"You haven't done that nearly enough in the last week, you know."

My cheeks flushed, and I looked at the menu while my mind raced for a way to start the conversation.

"I'm going for the cheese and mushroom omelet, no question," he said as he closed his menu.

"Sounds good, you can't go wrong with fungus in the morning."

As I closed my menu and handed it across to him, our eyes met, and I was dazzled by his smile. His eyes were the deepest shade of green I had ever seen outside of retouched photographs, and they sparkled with happiness.

The waitress spoiled the moment by bringing us our drinks and taking our order.

We made polite conversation while I looked for a way to steer the conversation towards all of the reasons that Edward should stay away from me. Unfortunately, there just isn't a smooth segue for _I get that you like me, and I like you, but I'm an emotional wreck, and my ex-husband will probably try to cut your balls off if he sees us together._

Now that would be a "Dear Abby" worth reading.

 _Here goes nothing,_ I thought to myself as I realized that the only way to do this was to jump right into the deep end. "So, it was recently brought to my attention that I've been unfair to you."

"Unfair? How?"

"I was accused of giving off signals that were more mixed than a blender–I'm paraphrasing, but that was the general idea."

Edward chuckled but recovered quickly. "Well, I won't deny that I've been having a little bit of difficulty sorting out your signals, but I think I'm doing ok. I haven't developed whiplash just yet.

"Given what happened in your last relationship, it's not like you don't have every reason to take things slowly, Bella. Besides, you're worth it." He shrugged and returned to fixing his coffee.

He stated this as fact with no hint of trying to play it up as a compliment. It was a simple truth to him. The emotion welled up in my throat a little, and I pushed it down. The last thing I was going to do was cry and look _more_ vulnerable and in need of protection.

Thankfully, the waitress arrived with our food, so I had a moment to collect myself before continuing.

"I…appreciate that, Edward, but before you decide if I'm worth the trouble or not, I want to tell you some things about my situation and what you're getting yourself involved in."

He gave me an annoyed look. "Can I speak first?"

I sighed and nodded.

"I know you think you're all dark and twisted, but I'm a musician! Hell, I do dark and twisted for a living. I share a bus with Emmett more often than I get to sleep in my own bed. Do you know how many soul scarring things he subjects me to daily?" He smiled at me, trying to lighten the mood, but I glared back at him. "Fine, do your worst. I'll listen to anything you want, but you should know I don't scare easily."

"You eat, I'll talk."

He nodded, and took a bite of omelet, then looked up at me expectantly.

I took a deep breath. "Alice told you about James, the man I was married to?"

"I would hardly call him a man, but yes, Alice told Jasper, and he told me. I still don't feel right about that, by the way. I feel like I violated your privacy or something."

"No, it's okay. We talked about it, and I knew that if it came up, she would tell you. It's not a happy time in my life, I made too many mistakes. So many people were pulled into my drama.” I shook my head again. “Anyway, I'm not fond of rehashing that part of my life. She wanted to spare me that. It was never a question of if you needed to know. Once James showed up, it became an issue of safety for you and the rest of the guys. James is a loose cannon to put it lightly, and I hate that I've brought him into your lives."

"I don't think you should hold yourself responsible for the actions of another person."

"Edward, the simple fact is that if I wasn't here, he wouldn't be. So how does that not come back to me?"

He sighed deeply and thought for a moment. "If our positions were reversed, I'd probably feel as guilty as you do. Ask yourself this though, would you blame me if a rabid fan latched on to you?” I had no response to that because, of course, I wouldn’t.

He continued, “The one thing that you can be sure of is that no one blames you for his actions. You aren't responsible for the fact that he's a psycho stalker, and no one expects you to stop living your life and isolate yourself because of him. I’ll deal with James any day of the week if it means that I get to spend time with you."

I shook my head. "I don't think you understand him well enough."

"What happened last week, Bella?"

I pushed bits of the omelet around on my plate, having lost my appetite the moment the conversation turned to James. "After you came to see me outside that night, Alice and I did inventory on our gear. We realized we'd left some important gear at the hotel. She went to get it by herself, so I could finish up some last-minute prep." I didn’t want to relive this again, but it was only fair that he knew what happened.

_I waved at Alice as she disappeared into the cab. There was plenty of time for her to make the trip. It was just an inconvenience. I smiled to myself, thinking about skipping out on the work I had planned and going to find Edward instead._

_A hand rested on my shoulder, and I whipped around with a smile, sure that Edward had found me first. There were times when it seemed like he could read my mind._

_The world around me started to spin, and my heart stopped. I staggered a bit as James reached out and put his hands on my arms to steady me._

_"Isabelle."_

_"Ja…James?" I stuttered in shock._

_"Who else? I've been waiting to see you for months, ever since I tracked you down."_

_"You tracked me down… but James, the divorce, the restraining orders, the cops," I said, trying to force myself past the numbness and make my brain work again. I needed to figure out what he wanted and why he was here._

_"Well, yes, I’m sure that was all very painful, but your parents aren't here anymore. It's just you and me. We can be together again."_

_"What?" A new wave of shock seemed to push the old one out of the way, and my brain kicked into gear. Could he really be this delusional?_

_"James, I'm not going anywhere with you."_

_"Not right now, but you will." He smiled._

_"Why would I do that?"_

_"Because we're married. Because I love you. You love me. We have a connection, Isabelle. You can't change that with a piece of paper."_

_I shook my head and tried to figure out where he could possibly be getting this. "James, I thought I had made it fairly clear that I didn't want you in my life anymore. Divorce papers and restraining orders are not signs of affection."_

_"I know you had a lot of pressure on you to do those things. I'm not mad at you, Isabelle. I know who was really behind them."_

_"I was behind them, James."_

_"No, that's not you talking, you'll see. Once all these distractions are gone," James waved a hand vaguely at the buses and the venue, "you'll remember where you belong."_

_I gaped at him once, again off balance, and getting really sick of the feeling. "What do you mean once it's all gone? Do you think I'm going to quit my job or something?"_

_"No," he said sadly. "Of course, I hoped you would, but I see now that you're going to need some convincing."_

_"You can't convince me of that. I love my job. I love the people I'm working with."_

_"Ah, but my Isabelle, do they love you? Can they possibly love you like I do?" He stepped very close to me now and gripped my upper arms painfully. "You belong to me, Isabelle, and I will never let you go. I won't rest until you realize that. If I have to make everyone else's life hell to drive you back to me, I will, because I know once you are with me again, you will remember what you are and where you belong."_

_He pulled me close and kissed me, forcing his tongue between my lips and onto my clenched teeth. He pulled back and smiled tenderly at me like we had just shared a passionate goodbye, then turned and walked away._

Coming back to the present, I noticed that I was absently rubbing the bruises he had left on my arm. I looked up and was startled to see Edward's face twisted with anger.

"If James shows his face again, I'll take care of the whole problem. He can't bother you if he can't walk." A twisted smile came across Edward's face, and my stomach plummeted.

"No!" I said a bit too loudly, causing the few other customers to look at us. "This is exactly what I was afraid of, Edward. James was dangerous when I knew him before, I can only imagine what he's been up to, and I bet it didn't help his disposition.

" _I_ can deal with James. I know his games and how he works. None of that bothers me, but the thought of him hurting you or anyone else because of me makes me sick. If he even suspects we're together, I know he'll do something stupid. I don't want you to get hurt because of me." I felt a tear roll down my cheek and swiped at it as I cursed myself for never being able to keep my emotions in check.

Edward stood up and threw some money on the table before pulling me to my feet and wrapping me in a tight hug.

"Come on, let's get out of here." He put an arm around me and led me outside. "First off, I understand that you're worried about everyone, but I can take care of myself, and so can the other guys. I will not let some crazy asshole run my life. Surprisingly, nothing you said has done anything but make me more in awe of you. Can we consider me warned and this conversation officially over now?"

"On one condition: you have to promise me that you won't go after James next time you see him."

Edward exhaled with frustration. He removed his arm from my shoulder and stopped walking.

I turned to face him. "No, I need your word on this. Let me handle him my way. I don't want you getting involved."

"Fine, I won’t interfere unless he lays hands on you.” He held up a hand at my protest. “I’m not going to just stand back and let it happen. You can’t expect that from me, how could I watch you be injured?"

I wasn't sure how much his reluctant agreement would mean when things got bad, but I felt a little bit better about the situation. I smiled and lifted his arm up so I could duck back under it. We had made progress, which was enough for one morning. For once, I wanted to relax and enjoy the peace Edward brought me.

-==\\\//==-


	13. Downtime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.  
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.  
> Original betas for this chapter: LuluM and LouderThanSirens

**Chapter Thirteen** **  
**Downtime

_Jasper POV_

I paced in the lobby and checked my watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. Alice didn't know, but I had a surprise planned in place of our run this morning. Unfortunately, the interview ruined my plotting.

I'd seen the sign in the hotel lobby when we checked in last night, and the seeds of my plan had been planted. I'd checked out the room at the first opportunity and got the permission to use it early this morning. The interview was made even more torturous by my anticipation. Alice promised me that she would change quickly and meet back down here. The elevator dinged, and I watched the doors impatiently.

"Alice, finally!"

She frowned. "What? I went right up and changed into my workout gear. Why are you so anxious to run all of a sudden?"

"We're not going running." She looked longingly toward the lobby doors and the beautiful day outside.

"I promise that it'll be worth it." I flashed my best smile.

Alice narrowed her eyes and nodded.

I led her back to my discovery and opened the door proudly. I watched as she took in the large room covered in blue mats. Confusion crossed her face as she looked at me.

"The room is set up for a self-defense class the hotel is hosting. I thought we could use it. I want to spar with you," I explained.

"What? Jasper, no. That's not a good idea."

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun. Don't worry. I have some training, too." I really hoped that I wouldn't have to stoop to taunting her, but I would. I was determined to see her in action.

Alice took a few moments to consider and finally agreed.

"If I break your nose or something, you're explaining it to Carlisle and Esme."

Alice took her socks and shoes off and placed them neatly at the side of the mats and moved to the center of the room. She started warming up, working through some different kicks and punches while I stretched. When I made an appreciative noise at a roundhouse kick, she smirked at me.

"Did you think I trained at the school that gave out belts for theory or something?"

"I was admiring your form," I said with complete and utter honesty.

"All right, if we're going to do this, let's get started. Are you absolutely sure?"

"Absolutely."

She came at me with a high punch that I blocked quickly. I saw a trace of surprise cross her face, and her next punch was a little less restrained. She smiled when I blocked that one too. We circled each other for a while before she came at me again. Her attacks were faster now, with more confidence that she wouldn't have to stop herself before hurting me.

The first time I sent her to the mat, I almost fell over laughing. She looked so shocked and indignant.

"My trainers didn't give out belts for theory either." I chuckled and held out a hand to help her up.

She scowled at my offer of assistance, and then swung her legs up for momentum and jumped up from the floor looking determined. Before I could recover from my moment of smugness, she came at me with a flurry of kicks and punches. Well, she was definitely past holding back now. I took an offensive stance and attacked as she blocked. Her speed and dexterity were impressive. I turned up the heat a little more, trying to find her limits.

We continued like this for a while. Alice was very good at assessing my style and exploiting weaknesses. She was a damn good fighter and landed more than a couple of solid hits on me.

"Okay, so you've definitely got a black belt. I can tell you're holding back on me," Alice grunted as she blocked a kick.

"Third-degree," I said, trying not to sound too smug.

Alice took advantage of my momentary distraction and tried to land a hit. I grabbed her and threw her down, but she was quicker than I had planned. Her grip on me threw my balance off. I tried to recover, but she was determined to bring me down, and I landed on top of her.

I admit it, I panicked. "Shit, are you ok?" My hands immediately braced on either side of her to shift my body weight. When she looked up at me, our eyes locked, and I saw the fire behind hers. Everything else disappeared, and my mouth was on hers before I had even thought about it.

Alice responded without hesitation, her mouth opened and met my tongue greedily. Her hands threaded through my hair and held me to her. Nagging thoughts that I may have made a mistake instantly dissolved. Before I really understood how she did it, Alice flipped me over onto the mat and straddled my stomach. She quickly leaned down to regain the kiss.

I was entranced by the movements of her lips, her tongue, and her body. Just as I was starting to enjoy the feel of her on me a little too much, she broke off and straightened up, smiling at me.

It was our first kiss, and it was far more intense than I could have anticipated. Neither of us moved as unsaid words and emotions passed between us. Finally, Alice started to pull away and hide that vulnerable side of herself. The playful look came back across her face, and I watched in amazement as her masks changed before my eyes.

"Do you end all your sparring sessions that way?" she asked huskily.

"Yeah, Emmett hates it."

She snorted and jumped up, extending a hand to me.

"Well, we definitely have to do that again."

"The sparring or the kissing?" I asked as she walked toward the exit.

"Both," Alice said as she turned around. "And next time you're going to have to work a little harder for it too." Then, she winked at me and walked out the door.

I ran a hand through my hair as I exhaled. I was never one for making predictions, but I had a solid feeling that things between Alice and I were going to get interesting.

-==\\\//==-

_Bella POV_

"How was your run?" I asked without taking my eyes off my laptop.

Alice closed the door behind her, then slid down to sit on the floor with a goofy grin on her face. Raising an eyebrow at her, I got up and sat on the floor directly in front of her. "Spill."

"Well, we didn't really get much of a run in, we checked out some of the hotel facilities instead," Alice said dreamily.

"I'm gathering that there wasn't a whole lot of exercise going on between the two of you."

"On, no, there was exercise!"

My mouth fell open.

"Bella! Not like that! He found a room we could spar in. He's a third-degree degree black belt, and sorta kicked my ass, but I held my own." She scowled.

"I assume that the ass-kicking was not the source of that beaming smile and goofy look you walked in here with."

"Well…no…" I made an out-with-it motion, and she let out a fake annoyed sigh. "We were sparring, he knocked me down, but I sorta took him down with me, and he fell on top of me."

"Nice!"

"No, nice was when he started kissing me."

She may have squealed at this point, and I may have squealed back. There may have been jumping and celebrations worthy of fourteen-year-olds, but as there were no recording devices present, no one will ever know because I'm certainly not going to tell.

Once we assumed our proper ages again, Alice was lying on her bed. The goofy grin was back on her face as she had just relived the entire kiss in far more detail than I thought was necessary.

"So, what's the next move?" I asked as I fell onto my bed.

"Now? Now, the games begin."

I looked at her blankly.

"You're hopeless. Now I do everything I can to inspire lust in him so that he has to kiss me again."

"Well, I imagine he _wants_ to kiss you again. Why do you have to tempt him?"

"Because that's the fun part! Seeing who gives in first."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

Alice was back in her dreamland, or possibly plotting Jasper's torture, because she didn't respond. It's not that I wasn't fun or playful; I just wasn't one for games. What Alice was playing at was beyond me.

I got up from the bed and shrugged. "To each her own. You can plot while we're driving to the next city. Right now, you need to pack. We have to be out of here and on the bus in an hour."

She looked at the clock and swore before making a beeline for the shower. Forty-five minutes later, I was sitting at the table on the bus fighting with my computer again. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get a decent signal for the net.

Alice appeared on the stairs dragging her travel suitcase behind her. “Carlisle says we leave in twenty.”

I nodded and growled in frustration. "That's it, we're changing cell providers at the first chance we get," I complained as I willed myself to not throw my phone out the window.

"Yeah, their coverage sucks, I know. I've meant to mention that to you. Never mind about that now, though. We have all day off tomorrow. Where are we going to go?"

"Alice, no. I have things to do tomorrow. I don't have time to go out. The video for the last show still needs to be cut and posted. It's just final editing and rendering. You don't really need to be there since we've already done the rough edits. Go out. Have a few drinks with the band. You know it's not really my scene," I said as I sorted through the rest of my files and figuring out what I could do without an internet connection.

Alice frowned at me but was still being careful about pushing too hard. "Bella, come on, you need a break, and you know it. Even if it's just the two of us, come out and have some fun. I know you've been handling everything, but I think you really need to just cut loose."

"I'm fine, Alice, really. It was noth—"

The bus door opened, and we both looked expectantly toward the stairs. "Bella, Alice, you guys in there?" Jasper's uncommonly serious-sounding voice emanated from the stairs.

"Yeah, we're here. Come on up." I answered because Alice had broken out with a case of ‘big stupid grin’ and was desperately trying to get it under control.

Jasper quickly came up the stairs and hovered near the entranceway. I tried to ignore the tension and anticipation that was shooting between Alice and Jasper. "Do I need to find somewhere else to be for a while?" I asked as I watched them.

He cleared his throat softly and reached overhead to stretch his arms out on the railing there. His shirt rode up, leaving a tantalizing view of his abs. I saw Alice twitch ever so slightly beside me.

 _Ok, so maybe the games had a point,_ I thought as I smirked at her.

"Yeah, tomorrow is an off day for you guys too, right? No meetings?" he asked with far too much innocence. He had finished his gratuitous stretching and was leaning up against the partition.

I tried to speak up before Alice, but she was quicker and chimed in with, "Nope, nothing to do whatsoever."

I groaned and wondered if she'd actually paid him off.

"Alright then, we just had an impromptu meeting in our bus and decided that we're all heading out in the evening. It's Emmett's choice for the destination, but rest assured, there will be alcohol and dancing, and we are _all_ going." He looked pointedly at me as he emphasized the all. I hid behind my laptop and became very interested in my work while muttering under my breath. I could actually _feel_ Alice's smug smile. I was already rearranging the day in my head, at least I could get something done before we went out.

"I mean it. No work tomorrow, Bella. I know you two are used to hectic schedules and round the clock hours, but you've never done a tour like this before. You can't treat it like a race, it's a marathon. I don't want you two burning out on us."

I slumped down further and rolled my eyes at the screen.

Jasper pointed at me. "I saw that, Bella." Alice snickered, and I shot her a glare. "You're still working for us, remember…what we say goes. Alice, you'll tell me if she cheats?" I glared up at him and noticed that Alice wasn't the only one looking smug. This was definitely a conspiracy.

"Your wish is my command," she said and stood up to do a little curtsey.

His eyebrow raised just the slightest bit at that as he laughed and disappeared down the stairs.

"You two are going to be the source of cavities as a couple. I can already tell."

Alice's only response was to stick her tongue out at me and disappear into the back lounge.

I spent most of the bus ride plotting an escape from the day off tomorrow. I knew I didn't have a hope in hell of bailing on the night time outing, but if I played my cards right, I might be able to weasel my way out in the morning with my laptop for an hour or two.

Apparently, I wasn't any better at cards than I was at sports. I contemplated how unfair it was that I should have such rotten luck as an exasperated Alice lectured me the next morning.

"Look, you can't sit here hiding in the back of the bus all day. We have today off. You're supposed to be relaxing! I knew the second I read your note you were planning this. I might have bought you going shopping, even if it was unlikely, but there is no way in hell that you'd ever go to a spa voluntarily." Alice smirked at me as she lazily draped herself across the couch cushions.

It had taken all of thirty minutes for her to find me, and she was probably sleeping for twenty of them. Sometimes I honestly wondered if she really was psychic. I had woken up early this morning and figured if I left her a note saying I was going to hit the hotel spa and maybe do a little browsing at the shops in the area, it might buy me that hour or two. I chose the bus as my hiding spot since most of the crew shunned them when a hotel was available. I realized now that I might have gotten away with it if not for the mention of the spa.

"Alice, I have photos to sort and send off for approval, video to edit and render, plus five blog posts to get up from the band. I don't have time to take time off!" I responded in a slightly manic pitch.

She narrowed her eyes at me in a way that I had long ago learned meant I was going to lose this battle spectacularly. " _We_ have many things to do, and _we_ will still have many things to do tomorrow regardless of whether you get spectacularly drunk tonight or not. You are not only a workaholic, but you're also a master of avoidance, and you seem to have forgotten the fact that I'm aware of this."

"No idea what you're talking about," I muttered.

"You're pulling away from everyone."

I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off.

"Ok, everyone except Edward, which by the way, it's about time! I thought the poor man was going to explode."

I smiled down at my fidgeting hands.

Alice's voice became more serious. "I just hope that the fact that I told them about James isn't causing this."

"No, Alice, we already talked about this, and I told you to tell them. Hell, I'm grateful I didn't have to do it. I don't think Edward is ready to see blubbering Bella just yet."

I sighed and closed the laptop. "It's just hard not to fixate on James, Alice. He's not going to leave me alone. I could deal with that, but he's going to try something to get me fired. I know that it probably won't work, but if he made enough of a nuisance of himself, would people still really be so forgiving?"

Alice sighed and moved to sit beside me, giving me a tight hug. "I know you don't want the speech again, but you need to hear some of it, so I'll give you the short version. What happened with him was not your fault and not your mess. He's the screwed up one, Bella, and nothing you could have done would have made him happy, you can’t fix other people.

"The people that love you and care about you have no problem helping you or even just being there as a shoulder to cry on. You hurt them when you shut them out. We all care about you, and no one thinks any less of you for this. Now that they know what James is doing, it won't be easy for him to manipulate them."

"I just thought I was finally really moving on. This thing with Edward has me in knots, and it's exciting. It's been a very long time since I've felt that way."

"Then you shouldn't let the fact that James is a fuckwad ruin it," she said thoughtfully. "You can't control him, and you can't make him do what you want him to. You can control how you react to him."

She squeezed me tightly again, smiled, and stood up. "Now, back to business. Give me the laptop."

"Do I really look like I'm in the mood to go out and party, Alice?"

"Which is precisely why you need to! Perhaps you've forgotten that you're living a dream here? You're on the road with a band you’re crazy about, doing what you love. You need to enjoy it!" Alice retorted in a patronizing voice.

"Just because I don't want to go get blindingly drunk at an overpriced bar…" I pointlessly attempted to argue before she continued as if I hadn't spoken.

"You're avoiding socializing, and I've decided that you need to unwind. You're coming with us tonight. If you don't go shopping with me right now and get into the mood for some fun, I'm marching right upstairs to get Edward. I bet he can be persuasive." She smiled sweetly.

Adding Edward into the mix was low.

"You wouldn't." My eyes involuntarily widened at her in horror, hoping against hope that she really was joking.

She tapped her index finger to her lips a couple of times as she contemplated. "I could authorize Edward to tie you up if you protest. He'd probably really enjoy that."

I felt my face turn red as I struggled to come up with an appropriate response. Triumph played across Alice's face as I noted how evil she really was. Then I promptly remembered that I already knew precisely how evil she was, having used it to my advantage on many occasions.

"You know very well that I would. Shall I get my phone?" She said with a sweet smile.

"Fine! You know I love you, Alice, but there is a definite possibility that I may just kill you and leave you in some random truck stop dumpster on this tour." I started packing up my laptop and anything else that meant we were never out of touch from management, the label, or the band. With a quick look around to make sure I hadn't missed anything, I popped my cell in my pocket.

Alice started shaking her head and laughing her "I don't think so laugh" as I turned around and shot her a bewildered look. "No phone! No work today!"

I groaned. "Aw, come on, Alice. I need my phone. You know we can't be out of touch." I held onto my cell like a drowning woman clutching a life preserver as she tried to rip it from me.

"Day off, remember? No show, no interviews, no problems, and no emergencies," she trilled as she took my phone and ran into the front of the bus, shouting, "you'll get it back in the morning."

I groaned again and followed her. By the time I got to the front, my laptop bag and phone had disappeared into one of the many hiding spaces that tour buses were designed with. Alice was smiling, and I could have sworn I saw a halo.

I muttered again as she called a cab and dragged me off the bus. "How come you get to keep _your_ phone?" I realized there was probably a tad too much venom in my voice, but she knew how dependent I was on my phone. I felt like I was missing a limb.

"Because _I_ can have a phone in my possession for more than five minutes without breaking out in work. Esme knows where to find us if there's a real emergency with any of our stuff. Besides, you're entirely too dependent on your phone," she answered sagely.

"Out of my head, woman!"

We milled around in the hotel lobby while we waited for a cab. I liked this hotel. It was fancy enough that you could hope your bed wasn't covered in foreign DNA, but at the same time, you didn't have to tip everyone who lifted a finger for you. It's not that I was against tipping; I just wasn't one for being waited on. When it came to losing a tip, no one wanted to let you do anything for yourself.

It was bright, sunny, and warm out, in short, the perfect day to have off. I would have been happy to find a park with a bench, stake my claim for the day, and get caught up on some email. I sighed heavily. I hated shopping.

"You'd think I was taking you to face a firing squad, honestly. I promise to keep myself in check. We won't be too long," Alice shot at me.

I snorted.

"I just want to hit a couple of places; they're even all in the same mall! I promise four hours max!"

" _Four hours!_ " I shrieked as the concierge shot a disapproving look at us. "Alice, I cannot follow you into shoe stores for four hours!"

"Only four shoe stores. The rest are clothes!"

"Oh. Perfect." I had a strong feeling a session of Bella Barbie dress up was in my near future. It was time for some damage control. I took a deep breath to prepare myself. "Okay fine, two hours, two shoe stores. I try nothing on, and when we get back, I get my phone and laptop back." I put on my serious face.

She narrowed her eyes and prepared for the usual bargaining that preempted our shopping trips. "Three and a half hours, three shoe stores, and you can check text messages."

"Ha! Nice try. Two and a half hours, three shoe stores, no fashion show, and I get to check my email."

"Hmmm. Three hours, three shoe stores, and you get a new outfit for tonight. You can check your voicemail and your email, but you can't respond. That's my final offer." She crossed her arms and nodded. When I didn't reply positively in what Alice considered a suitable amount of time, the halo popped back out again. Man, I would have liked to know where she kept that thing.

"I can always go up and tell Jasper you were working today. I wonder if Edward is hanging out in his room still?" she mused. "You know how clear he was yesterday that you take a day off for some downtime."

"Bitch!" I hissed.

Our voices had been getting colder, and by this point, we were glaring at each other. The concierge was doing his best to not watch us. I wasn't sure if he was hoping we'd take it elsewhere, or he was excited at the thought of a full-on catfight. "

"Love you too, baby." She laughed. At which point, she threw her arm around my shoulder, and we fell into a fit of giggles.

We heard Emmett's loud laugh and realized he'd been watching the whole scene play out from the foot of the stairs.

"Alice, I think you and Rosalie would be excellent friends. Bella's better at negotiating than me, though; I always end up going to all the shoe stores. Anyway, I know how my Rosie likes to know where we're going so she can plan what she's wearing and stuff. We'll be going to a club, loud music, drinking, dancing. It's gonna be a blast."

I groaned, and he smiled wider. "I picked it just for you, Bella. Jasper said you were under orders to come so you couldn't back out. He told me to pick somewhere that you'd have fun. You might want to avoid the hurricanes, though."

"Thanks, nice to know absolutely everyone is in on the plot. Should I expect Carlisle to pop out and tie me up for a pedicure before the day is over?" I muttered.

Two hours and fifty-nine minutes later, Alice was calling the cab to take us and our spoils home. I gave Alice a hard time about her shopping fetish, but the truth was my wardrobe had always benefitted from her attention. If left to my own devices, I was a ‘jeans and t-shirt’ kind of gal. Ok, ok, I was a ‘sweats and t-shirt’ kind of gal whenever I could get away with it. Alice had, for the most part, managed to beat it into my head that ‘ _I don't need to look like a slob to be comfortable!’_ I still had my limits, and she knew better than to demand anything above sweats when I was home.

She tried to throw them all out on me once. The neighbors ended up calling the police who were less than amused when they found us in the hall of the dorm collapsed on each other and laughing so hard we couldn't breathe. I'd honestly thought they were only a few minutes away from calling an ambulance to take us in for a 72 hours psych eval when we managed to stop laughing long enough to talk. The sweats survived, though.

My wardrobe was in good shape, and I hoped that I could get out of buying anything, but as promised, she had insisted that I needed something to new wear tonight. I settled on a simple black dress that I liked even though it was indeed a dress. When I complained about the fact that the fitted top had no straps, Alice had looked pained but agreed that I could have something over it and promptly found a fantastic deep blue shirt that shimmered in the light. It was made of a silky material, and I could wear it as a shirt or open as a coverup. I liked it so much that I even agreed to the heels she picked out for me.

For herself, Alice chose a pleated skirt in schoolgirl plaid. When she picked out the black corset top, I figured that Jasper was in for a long night. Then she found the boots. They were knee-high black vinyl.

"You're trying to kill Jasper, aren't you?" I said to her.

She smiled wickedly and nodded. "Do you think he'll like them?"

"We can use the word like if that's what you're comfortable with," I replied, laughing.

When we got back to the hotel, Alice made me take the bags up to the room and wait while she retrieved my laptop and cell. She must have found a hiding spot she didn't want to lose. I cursed, knowing that this was not going to be the last time I had my work gear confiscated.

"You've got fifteen minutes while I shower, and then we're getting dressed. I passed the guys in the hall. They're going to dinner at seven. We'll meet them at the club around eight-thirty."

"We're not going to dinner with them?" I kicked myself when I realized that my disappointment had leaked into my voice.

She smiled, and I knew she'd heard it. "You've come a long way from not even wanting to go."

I stuck my tongue out at her.

"No, we're not going to dinner. We're going to stay here and make ourselves fabulous. Now, did you want to check your messages?" Alice said as she handed over my equipment.

I grabbed at the electronics like a junkie getting a long-overdue hit. I hugged my laptop case and twirled, cooing, "I missed you, baby."

"You need more help than I’m capable of giving."

I was speed reading the last of my emails when Alice came out of fifteen minutes later, wrapped in a towel, and snapped my laptop shut. "Go shower. You stink!"

"I do not! It's Eau du bus. People pay good money for a musk like this!" I said haughtily, which sent Alice into a fit of giggles. I made my way in for a long hot shower, which was sure to be followed by a night the guys would not soon forget if Alice had anything to say about it.

-==\\\//==-


	14. Night Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.
> 
> Original betas for this chapter: LuluM and LouderThanSirens

**Chapter Fourteen**  
Night Out

_Edward POV_

The club was hot, sweaty, and loud. This wasn't my usual type of place, but it was Emmett's turn to pick, and since we had practically kidnapped Bella to get her out for some fun, I wasn't about to bail. I was disappointed when Jasper told us they wouldn't be joining us for dinner. He thought Alice was up to something, and spent most of the night distracted, wondering what it was.

Jasper was watching the entrance of the club as closely as I was, and Emmett had laughed at us more than once. To his credit, he really could have raked us over the coals for all the times we'd given him shit about Rosalie, but he just seemed excited and happy for us.

"Holy shit!" I heard Emmett exclaim and whipped around to where he was looking. _Holy shit_ didn't even begin to cover it. I felt my jaw fall open as I stared at the two women walking our way.

Bella was in a short, tight black dress. It looked like it had been tailored to her body. I realized that with the jeans and shirts she usually wore, I had never adequately appreciated how fantastic her body was.

I had never seen her in heels before either, and the ones she had on did amazing things to her legs. The dress hugged her hips tightly, leading up to a low cut neckline. She had the kind of cleavage you could dive into. I whimpered quietly and shifted in my chair.

I heard Jasper inhale quickly at the same time, Alice became visible behind Bella.

"Knee-high fuck me boots? She's trying to kill me," Jasper muttered in a pained voice from his side of the table.

Well, she was trying to do something to him. The boots were only the start. I'm sure once he recovered he'd notice the school-girl skirt. Another whimper from his direction told me that he'd caught up.

Emmett looked at us and laughed loudly. "Tonight is going to be so much fun!" He slapped us both on the back and welcomed Bella and Alice as they strode up.

We had a few drinks, and the evening was getting to a great start even if Jasper and I both had to actively work to keep our hands to ourselves. We were both giving off a "they're with us" vibe because Bella and Alice were too fucking hot for their own good. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. They were too hot to be in public for our liking.

It seemed like every male in the place had asked them to dance at least once. Alice took it in stride but dismissed them politely. Much to my relief and amusement, Bella looked more frustrated as the night went on.

"Good God, you two are worse than a porch light on a southern night. I can't believe I ever thought you two were…well, you know," Emmett said with some astonishment.

Alice laughed loudly. "Oh, don't feel bad, Emmett. If we really wanted to, we could make every guy in the place think we were raging lesbians. Most would be completely intimidated too."

"Well sure, even I'm not that stupid, all you have to do is start groping each other," he said as though it was perfectly obvious.

I choked on my drink, but thankfully everyone ignored me.

"Well, that would take care of the lesbian part," she said with a wicked glint in her eyes.

Bella rolled her eyes and sighed at this. Without a word, she got up and walked over to the bar. I saw her make an order and down a shot before returning to the table with three more.

"Thirsty?" I asked, puzzled by her sudden alcohol consumption.

She smiled and shook her head at me before putting two shots in front of Alice and keeping one for herself. She sat down and drank it immediately. I shot her another quizzical and slightly alarmed look.

She leaned over to me. "I'm going to need it, you'll see."

I turned to Jasper, who look equally baffled and shrugged. Alice and Emmett's conversation came back to me over the music.

"Fine, prove it." He smiled, obviously thinking she was bluffing.

"Do you doubt we can?"

A calculating look crossed Emmett's face. He knew better than to underestimate Alice by now, but he desperately wanted to know what she was up to. She was playing him like a fiddle. He probably knew that too, but he didn't care.

"No kissing," he said while his brow furrowed.

"We'll barely touch," Alice smiled angelically back at him.

"And you're not going to do something stupid like strip?"

Bella fell into a fit of hysterics at this.

"Ok, I guess not," he muttered. "Fine, you manage it, and I'll be your personal roadie for a full week."

"Alright, and if we don't, we'll give all three of you a lap dance." Alice shot right back at him. I think I heard Bella mumble, "Oh, fuck me."

Emmett smacked his hand on the table. "Hell yeah, you're on!"

Alice downed a shot and left the table, threading her way to the DJ.

Everyone turned to look at Bella, who took in our three faces, reached over for Alice's spare drink, and downed it nervously.

"As a wise man once said to me, if you take any pictures of this, you're fair game." She stood up and turned her back on our astonished faces.

Bella made her way over to the dance floor, where Alice waited. The song that was playing faded out, and a new, driving beat began. At the first notes, the girls started to simply sway back and forth.

For a brief moment, I thought that they were just fucking with us, and there would be no "provocative show." Then the song picked up, and three jaws hit the table in rapid succession.

I looked over at Jasper and Emmett to see that they were having the same reaction as I was. Looking back to the girls, my mouth went dry. They had progressed to grinding on each others' legs.

"Holy Hell," I groaned, not really sure if I'd said it out loud or not.

Bella had both of her hands buried deep within her long brown hair and was swaying and gyrating against Alice's right thigh. On the other side, Alice was a mirror image and seductively moving to the beat against Bella's leg. They both looked like they had done this more than once.

I had to adjust myself again as my thoughts wandered. I pictured myself taking Alice's place, grinding my own hips against Bella's. The way she moved was just too sexy for words, and every motion kept me mesmerized. The song began to speed up as it moved into the chorus.

Suddenly they were all hands and hips. They looked as if they really were lovers and knew each other's bodies intimately even though, as Alice had promised, they had barely touched. I couldn't look away.

The beat increased, and the girls got closer to one another. They skimmed their hands up and down their own torsos while continuing to gyrate against each other. The motion was causing both of their skirts to ride up, far enough to give us an even more tantalizing glimpse of their legs.

I heard a whimper from my left and glanced toward Jasper. I had to elbow him in the ribs so that he'd remove his hands from his lap. We were both in trouble.

I turned back to watch the show only to groan, "Oh fuck me sideways, she's flexible!" Bella had was still moving too seductively and was leaning so far back I thought for sure her hair would touch the ground. Alice's hands were on Bella's waist to help support her while they both continued to move their hips in tandem.

I had to readjust my growing erection as my mind filled with thoughts of all the possibilities that her flexibility would allow. As if she could read my mind, she looked over at me and one hand found it’s way down her body to the apex of her thighs. I just about came in my pants when she winked at me.

I could have sworn that she had mouthed 'Oh Edward' before she moved her hand back up to her chest. She stood back up and turned back to her partner in crime. I knew that somehow, this was about to get hotter.

Alice took one of her legs clad with the "knee-high black fuck me boots" as Jasper was calling them, wrapped it around Bella's hip, and threw her head back. They both started moving, and if they had been a man and woman, you would have sworn they were fucking right in the middle of the dance floor. They were pink and flushed from the heat, but at that moment, a look of sheer ecstasy crossed both faces, and I was almost convinced they both just climaxed.

I heard a thud beside me and assumed that Jasper's head had just hit the table. I would have looked, but I was enthralled.

As the last notes rang through the club, the girls began to slow down their movements, and soon they were back to the smooth swaying they started out with. They ended their show with a hug and a chaste kiss on each other's cheek. Alice and Bella then came strolling back up to our table, holding hands as if nothing had happened out there.

Emmett decided to make his presence known as he jumped up and started clapping. "Wow, you girls could have auditioned for a porno with that dance! Alice, you win. It'll be worth carting around all your shit for a week to have seen that."

The girls took a small bow and sat back down at the table. Alice fanned herself and said, "Damn, I need a drink." She frowned in Jasper's direction. "What's wrong with him?"

I looked at my friend, who still had his head on the table, mumbling. I knew I had to try to save him because I wasn't far behind. I also knew that if Bella had those boots on, I would be in the exact same position.

"I think he just needs another drink, too. I'll go to get the next round." I carefully extracted myself from the table, doing my best to hide the bulge in my jeans, and made my escape to the bar as quickly as possible. I shook my head and wondered how many drinks Jasper and I would need to calm our now frazzled nerves.

-==\\\//==-

_Bella POV_

A few hours later, I was walking outside the hotel with Edward. He'd insisted on stopping at a store on the way home from the club. Alice and I didn't think any of them would be able to take the sight of her on my lap in those boots anyway, so Edward and I took one cab while the three of them went straight back to the hotel in another.

There was an all-night convenience store a couple of blocks from the hotel, so we had the cab let us out there. I was currently walking in my bare feet and carrying my heels as Edward continued to fight with the gum package he'd been wrangling with for the last block and a half.

"Are you sure you don't want me to open that for you?"

"No," he grunted. "This is a matter of honor now."

I snickered, and he shot me a scowl. He was very, very, drunk. After our dance, their alcohol consumption had increased significantly. Alice and I had known what our little show would do to them. What we hadn't considered was what it would do to us. When I looked up to see Edward staring at me like he was ready to screw me into the dance floor, I got as worked up as the bulge in his pants showed him to be. Alice was pleased that her boots had done their job too. I laughed again.

"Are you laughing at me in my moment of distress?"

"No, I was laughing at something Alice said." I sighed and snatched the gum package from him, opened it quickly and handed it back. I wasn't entirely sure he'd seen me do it.

"You weren't laughing at Alice."

I smiled and changed the topic knowing his drunken brain wouldn't be able to follow. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For dragging me out tonight. I know you all had a part in it. I had more fun than I've had on a night out since…well, our last drinking extravaganza." I winked at him.

A hint of mischievousness came into his eyes then. "Yeah, you and Alice both looked like you had a good time tonight."

"You liked our little show, did you?"

"I would tell you how much I liked it, but it would be ungentlemanly."

I snickered.

"I don't suppose you'd care to give me a private lesson tonight? I promise I'm a quick study. We can use my room!"

"Wow, you wouldn't mind? You're a prince! Somehow though, I don't think that it would be a good idea to be in your room tonight. You've had way too much to drink, and I'm not exactly sober either."

We were at the hotel now, and he held the door for me.

"Hmm, but if neither of us is sober, then neither of us can take advantage of the other, right?"

His drunken reasoning almost made sense to me, which reinforced the fact that I was right.

"Nope," I chimed and stepped into the elevator. He followed and looked deep in thought, I assumed he was trying to figure out more drunk logic to get me back to his room.

"Edward, you're going to hurt your brain. We will not be sleeping in the same room tonight."

"Who said anything about sleeping?"

"Because you have a grand history of being able to hold your liquor." I giggled as he scowled at me yet again. We had reached our floor and were walking down the hall to our rooms.

"I thought you said you wouldn't come back to my room," Edward swore as he tried unlocking the door to my room with his key card.

I pointed him to the room across the hall. "No, Edward dear, I said I wouldn't go back into your room. I'm just making sure you get here safely, you're rather drunk. Besides, my room is across the hall from yours. I kind of have to go to yours to get to mine."

"I'm hurt, women like my room."

"Yes, I'm sure it's a very nice room, but like I said, you're very drunk. I'd rather not be there in the morning when you've forgotten that you invited me."

He seemed to think about this. In his current state, it looked like a lot of work. "I don't think I could forget inviting you to my bed, Bella."

"That would have been very convincing if you didn't slur your way through it. Why do you only try to get me into bed when you're drunk?" I frowned.

"Why do _you_ only try to get _me_ into bed when you're drunk?" he asked smugly.

"I…well…that's different."

"Is it?"

"I am not going to discuss this with you right now. You're drunk!" I managed to sputter as I wondered how I'd lost control of this conversation.

"You started it." He crossed his arms and shrugged, but made no move to go into his room.

I bit my lip nervously and hoped another subject change would work. "Go to bed, Edward. You have a show tomorrow. Tell you what, if you go to bed now, then I promise that we’ll go out on a real date wherever you like. If you still think that's a good plan when you're sober."

"Deal," he said as he smiled wickedly and closed the door.

I sighed yet again and turned back for my room.

Alice was already getting ready for bed when I came in. She took one look at me and frowned. "Uh oh, I know that look, you're moping."

"I am not moping. I'm thinking."

"That's worse. It's less dangerous when you mope."

I flopped down on my bed. "Do you ever wonder how long we can get away with this?"

"Get away with what?"

"This fantastic job, hanging out with rock stars and traveling all over the country. Meeting all the people we get to meet. Sometimes I think we're too lucky and it can't last. It has to come crashing down sooner or later."

"You know, I like happy drunk Bella much more than thoughtful drunk Bella. Bring her back."

I stuck my tongue out at her. "I want him, I really, really want him."

"So, what's stopping you?"

I flopped down on the bed and snorted. "What isn't stopping us?"

"Well, the only thing that I see stopping you two is your brain. One of these times, it'll all come together, and it will be better without all the alcohol."

"I need to stop drinking or stop being around Edward when he drinks…I think I should just adopt a no alcohol in my presence rule."

"Good luck with that." She laughed at me.

I stood up and watched her peel off her boots. "You know, you really are going to kill Jasper if you wear those boots again."

She laughed wickedly. "They were spectacular, weren't they?"

"So, why aren't you in Jasper's room tonight anyway?" I sang as she flopped down onto her bed.

"Bella, I'm shocked. Do you think I'm that easy?"

"Yes, I read it on the bathroom wall. The wall never lies," I said solemnly and then ducked to avoid the pillow she sent flying at me.

-==\\\//==-


	15. Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This begins new content for the story. If you’re coming back because of an update alert, fair warning that there have been edits in the previously posted story as of this posting.
> 
> The rest of the story already exists and is being edited and polished. It will be finished this time.
> 
> To anyone new, thank you for sticking with it, and I hope you’re enjoying the story. 
> 
> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn’t borrow from her was created in my twisted mind. I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.

Chapter Fifteen  
Comfort

Alice POV  
  
The sound of the on-stage monitor squelching battered my eardrums. On stage, Edward ripped out his in-ear monitor. He turned to shout at someone offstage and tried to keep playing without being able to hear himself.  
  
Jasper wasn’t doing much better. The tension absolutely radiated off him. Most of the audience probably only saw one or two mistakes. My practiced eyes could see the crew running about furiously trying to find the problem with the electrical system.  
  
If you knew Midnight Sun’s show, you would have seen that the lighting was all off, and the monitors had fizzled out more than once. They managed to cover most of it, but problem after problem took its toll. By the time the band left the stage, no one was in a good mood.  
  
Bella quickly disappeared onto the bus to work on the footage and photos for the night. She was susceptible to catching moods from others, and anger made her very uncomfortable. I decided to wander down by the dressing room and assess the damage.  
  
As I threaded my way through the equipment that was being torn down and packed up, I saw a somber-looking Emmett sitting on the steps and drumming his fingers on his knee. “Hey Pixie,” he said with a half-hearted smile. “I wouldn’t go back there if I were you.”  
  
I returned his sad smile and took a seat beside him. “Rough night?”  
  
“Yeah, but it happens sometimes. It just sucks when you’re trying to put on a good show, and everything that’s not working is out of your control.”  
  
Shouting from the dressing room caught my attention, and I raised an eyebrow at Emmett.  
  
“That would be how Edward and Jasper handle a bad show. I should get in there before it gets nasty.” He bumped me lightly with his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, it’ll all blow over by tomorrow, it always does. You two should go back to the hotel. Nothing fun’s gonna happen tonight.”  
  
“Don’t be a hero in there,” I called as he vanished down the hall.  
  
Hours later, I was staring at the dark ceiling, and listening to Bella snore quietly. My body was tense, and relaxing seemed impossible. I picked up my cell phone and rechecked the time. It hadn’t even been five minutes since the last time I looked. Impulsively, I opened a text message.  
  
 _To: Jasper  
u awake?  
  
_I bit my lip and waited to see if he would reply. My phone vibrated less than a minute later.  
  
 _From: Jasper  
yes y r u awake?  
  
_I launched myself out of bed and into the hall. Moments later, I was knocking at his door. My heart stopped when he opened the door wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants. My eyes traveled down his muscled chest to his waist and the line of wispy hair descending past his waistband. _There be treasure there!_ I smiled at my inner monologue. Usually, it resided in the gutter, but lack of sleep seemed to send it entirely out of control.  
  
I froze as I realized I had just very openly looked him up and down...well down anyway. Suddenly I was second-guessing myself. I should have asked if I could visit. At the very least, I should have given him some warning.  
  
“Midnight Sun. I’ve heard of them,” he said with a half-hearted smile.  
  
He took in my confusion and pointed at my shirt. Oh right, my worn-out band shirt that had become my favorite PJs. “Ah. I’ll be honest with you. I _totally_ forgot I was wearing this. It’s the most comfortable thing I own, and I’ve been sleeping in it for years.”  
  
We stared at each other for another minute as I grew more self-conscious. If the floor wasn’t going to be cooperative and open up to swallow me, I was going to have to say something.  
  
“I couldn’t sleep,” I blurted out.  
  
“Do you want to come in?” he said at the same time.  
  
“Yeah, sure. Thanks.” I muttered. Seeing as this had been entirely spur of the moment, I didn’t really have any expectations or a plan, but this would not have been how I wanted my visit to start. Jasper went to the bed and began collecting papers that were strewn around his guitar.  
  
“You don’t have to clean up or anything for me.”  
  
“No. No, it’s nothing; I was just doing some writing since I couldn’t sleep.”  
  


“Well, crap. I’m sorry, Jasper. I never thought I’d be interrupting you. I’ll go. I’m really sorry.”  
  
“Alice!” he said as he crossed the room to grab me by the arms and steer me towards a chair. “Please don’t go. It’s alright, really. I want you to stay. You just caught me off guard, that’s all.”  
  
I watched as he finished picking up the papers, placed his guitar back on the stand, and took a seat on the edge of the bed across from my chair.  
  
“I wasn’t actually making any progress anyway. I was just trying to give myself the illusion of being productive.”  
  
I nodded and looked at the bland artwork some more. I was sitting in Jasper’s hotel room at three in the morning, He was half-naked, and I was at a complete loss for anything to say. Somewhere, the gods were laughing at me.  
  
“So, fantastic show tonight, huh? I especially like that part where the three of us were playing different songs at the same time.”  
  
“Come on, it wasn’t that bad. I bet ninety percent of the people didn’t even notice anything. Of course, when you know the set as well as Bella and I do, you can pick out all the missed cues and stuff but I saw everyone as they were leaving, and they didn’t look like they’d just watched a crappy show.”  
  
“We were just mediocre, then?”  
  
I made a face. “I will slap you if you make me.”  
  
“Is that a promise?”  
  
My jaw dropped. Apparently, Jasper got a little punchy when sleep deprived too.   
  
“You’re going to lose that southern gentleman reputation you’ve worked so hard on if you keep that up.”  
  
He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “I’ve never claimed to be…Jesus Christ.”  
  
“You probably shouldn’t either. That whole road didn’t work out too well for The Beatles.” The laughter died on my lips as I looked at his face and saw that he was really in pain.  
  
I stood went over to him. “What did you do?”  
  
He groaned. “It’s just an old stupid injury. My shoulder seizes up sometimes. It’ll stop soon, don’t worry.”  
  
“Let me help. I used to be famous for my shoulder massages in school. Perfect strangers would beg me for them. It was actually kind of awkward, but still…”  
  
Before he could protest, I was kneeling on the bed behind him. I felt him tense as I placed my hands on his shoulder. I pushed his head forward to give me access to his neck  
  
“Relax, I promise I won’t hurt you.” I ran my hands down either side of his neck and across his broad shoulders. I started working the trapezius muscle lightly to allow him to get used to my touch.  
  
“The thing about muscle pain is that where you’re feeling the pain isn’t always the source of it.” I was babbling now, but more silence wouldn’t help him to relax.  
  
My movements changed, and I started stretching out the muscles around his shoulder, making sure not to touch the area that was causing him pain. I felt some of the tension release as he relaxed under my hands.

“You have knots throughout your neck and shoulders and right down into your back, which makes me think you need some serious relaxation.” Most of the knots in his shoulders worked out quickly under my fingers as I kneaded his skin.  
  
Jasper moaned something that sounded like an agreement, and I smiled as I continued my ministrations. His shoulder improved quickly, but I found myself drawing out the massage simply to have an excuse to touch him. Finally, my hands stilled on his shoulders.  
  
“Feel better?”  
  
Without a word, he rested a hand on one of mine and twisted around to face me. His cool blue eyes searched mine, and, for the first time in a long time, my mind went still and calm.  
  
“I felt better the moment you knocked on my door tonight.” Jasper’s lips turned up in a slightly mischievous grin. He released one of my hands in favor of caressing my cheek softly. His fingers were calloused and rough, but they felt like heaven. “You really are beautiful, Alice.”  
  
I wasn’t sure when I started channeling Bella, but I looked down shyly. I never had a problem accepting a compliment in the past, but then I had never heard a man say something like that with such conviction. Jasper would have none of it, though, and he gently placed his hand under my chin so he could look into my eyes again. I watched him track my tongue as it darted out to moisten my lips.  
  
He pressed his lips softly to mine as he leaned in. This kiss was not to be rushed like our last one. His hand moved from my face to the back of my neck, pulling me to him gently. I felt his tongue ghost across my lips, but he stubbornly refused to deepen the kiss. I groaned in frustration and felt his lips curve into a smile.  
  
My lips traced a line of kissed up his jaw to his ear.  
  
“Tease,” I whispered, and bit at his earlobe playfully.  
  
“Says the woman who wears knee-high patent leather boots.” He growled, and I let out a shocked gasp as he pulled me to him tightly to reposition us. Jasper stood quickly and placed me at the head of the bed. After tossing the pillows to the floor, he sat down with his back against the headboard.  
  
“Much better. Now I won’t ruin your massage by having to twist around to kiss you.”  
  
“I agree, I think this is much better.” I quickly moved to straddle his lap.  
  
We wasted no time in rejoining our lips. Frustrated with progressing at his pace, I nipped at Jasper’s bottom lip as I ran my hands over his abs and up his chest. Finally, he opened his mouth to me, and our tongues met. I became lost in sensation as the contact between his hands, his lips, and tongue increased.  
  
He captured my lower lip between his teeth for a moment, causing me to gasp softly. I ran my hands back down to the waistband of his sweats. Pants were starting to seem like a terrible idea at the moment. One of Jasper’s hands traveled slowly up from my waist, grazing my breast ever so slightly and throwing my body into overload.  
  
From where I was sitting, I could feel how much Jasper was enjoying this. I was starting to wonder how far to take this when he took the decision out of my hands. He pulled away and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.  
  
“We should stop before we can’t,” he said huskily.  
  
I nodded and placed my head against his chest.   
  
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about doing that since the other day, but someone promised me that I was going to have to work for it.” He looked down at me and raised an eyebrow.  
  
I smiled and climbed off his lap to help make his decision to be a gentleman easier. While I felt the tension of our make-out session on one level, but I also felt calm and relaxed. Something about being around this man just settled me. I stretched out on the bed and propped my head up with one arm.  
  
“Well, I figured you’d had a bad enough day that you deserved a free pass just this once. What time is it?”  
  
“Almost four thirty.”  
  
“I should probably go.”  
  
“Are you tired?”  
  
“Not really, but don’t you need to sleep?”  
  
“We’re off for two days, I can afford a late night if you can.”  
  
I nodded, and Jasper stood up. He retrieved the pillows from the floor and disappeared into the bathroom for a moment. As he came back to the bed, he turned off the light and stretched out beside me. For the next few hours, we lay face to face in the dark and talked.

He told me about his life growing up on his parent’s farm in Texas and moving to Chicago for school. I told him more about my life and the unique situations I always seemed to end up in. We talked about everything from old flames, to favorite songs, and no topic seemed to be off-limits or awkward.  
  
“Is it weird that I’m so comfortable with you?” I said as he rolled onto his back, and I tucked myself tighter into his side.  
  
“I don’t think so, considering I feel just as comfortable with you.” He kissed the top of my head, and we watched the sun rise slowly over the city.  
  
A loud knock startled me awake. Jasper was already up and heading for the door. Bella’s voice carried in from the hallway, and she sounded worried.  
  
“Hey, Jasper. I woke you didn’t I? I’m really sorry, but I can’t find Alice. I checked all over for her. Her phone is still in the room, which is really weird. Did she call you last night or anything?”  
  
Jasper opened the door a little wider as I scurried out of bed.  
  
Bella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Sorry to wake you guys.” Then she turned and walked away.  
  
Jasper had a pained expression on his face. “That’s probably not good.”  
  
“Yeah, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Crap.”  
  
“Me either, sorry.”  
  
“It’s not your fault. I better go talk to her.” I pulled him down to me and kissed him quickly. “Thank you for a wonderful night, Jasper. Call me in a half-hour or so if you want to grab breakfast.”  
  
I hurried out of the room and entered the hall just in time to see Bella’s dark hair disappearing into our room. I cringed and started walking toward the doorway with a sense of impending doom. Edward chose that moment to step out of the elevator.  
  
“Alice! There you are. Bella’s been looking all over for you. Where have you been?”  
  
“Yep, I know I’m on it, thanks.” I chose to ignore his question. Jasper and I didn’t do anything, and even if we had, there was no reason to hide that, but I didn’t really want to go advertising it just yet. Edward smiled widely and waved as I opened the door to my room.  
  
Bella stood at the window with her back to me. Pushing the door shut behind me, I stood and debated the best way to handle this.  
  
“I’m sorry,” I said, deciding to get right to the point. I heard a small sniffle and crossed the room to Bella’s side. “Bella, are you ok? Why are you crying?”  
  
“I’m sorry, it’s stupid. I just got scared. You left your phone here, and there was no note, You never go anywhere without your phone! I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop ever since James showed up, and I was just so scared, Alice.”  
  
All of this fell out of her mouth so quickly that it took time to comprehend. When I finally did, my stomach took up residence somewhere in the hotel basement.  
  
“Shit! I’m sorry, Bella. Really I am. I never even thought of that. I mean, it was just a last-minute thing last night. I couldn’t’ sleep, so I texted him, and I guess I just didn’t think to bother with my phone. I didn’t plan on staying long, and I certainly didn’t mean to fall asleep.”  
  
“It’s ok, you don’t owe me any explanation. I just…” She wiped at her cheeks. “James’ appearance has me all screwed up and emotional; I hate it when I get like this. It’s emotional overload, I guess.”  
  
I threw my arms around her. “Oh, Bella. There is nothing wrong with that. You have every reason to be emotional. I really am sorry for worrying you.”  
  
“Don’t worry about it, I overreacted. Maybe it was understandable, but I still overreacted, that’s not your fault.”  
  
I opened my mouth to protest, but she spoke over of me. “Now that I’m calm and rational again…what, exactly, were you up to last night, Ms. Brandon?”  
  
My slippers suddenly became amazingly interesting. The longer I stalled, the higher Bella’s eyebrows traveled. Finally, her phone rang and broke the silence, but she continued to stare at me. “You should get that,” I said with relief. Saved by the bell indeed. “What if it’s important?”  
  
She scowled at me for using her weakness against her. As soon as she turned to find her phone, I disappeared into the shower. Five minutes later, she stuck her head into the steam-filled room. “I’m going to breakfast with Edward and the guys. Well, all the guys except Jasper, apparently he’s not available. Edward said he was busy with something, but he didn’t seem to know what. I do wonder what he’s planning.”  
  
I sighed in relief that Jasper and I weren’t going to be fodder for breakfast table gossip. Everything with Jasper was so new and special, it still felt sacred. Not that anything was meant by it, but this was a tight-knit group. I also knew Bella would rather die than talk about me behind my back, but she wasn’t exactly known for her poker face.  
  
Bella disappeared from the door, but before I was able to take a deep cleansing breath, she was back. “Don’t think this is over. I have ways of making you talk.”  
  
She was enjoying my discomfort entirely too much, which was fair since the tables were usually reversed. I was going to tell her what happened, I just needed time to process it. I’d had a few boyfriends through my school years, but none of them were serious.  
  
Everything with Jasper was just so easy. I was comfortable and relaxed with him. It was like there was a connection between us that didn’t need to develop, it was just there.  
  
I felt so in sync with him, it was honestly a little scary. Of course, that was impossible to dwell on considering that whenever he was in the same room, every part of me just wanted to be close to him. I shook my head and finished up my shower. Jasper would be calling to head to breakfast soon by the sound of it. I groaned as the excitement surged through me at the mere thought of his name.

“Gee, Alice, don’t go head over heels right away or anything,” I muttered to myself. As long as I didn’t start planning the wedding yet, I was sure I wasn’t entirely out of control.  
  
After showering and dressing, I was left with nothing to do but wait. Since I was already a bundle of nervous energy, I knew that letting myself dwell was not wise. I tidied up the room, repacked my bags, set batteries to charge, and checked email as I waited for Jasper to arrive. Just as I ran out of jobs to focus on, there was a soft knock at the door.  
  
I couldn’t help my smile as I opened the door to see that glorious man—my glorious man, I thought and reveled in how right that title felt—standing there waiting for me.  
  
“You’ve kept me waiting,” I said, managing to sound a little reproachful.  
  
He ducked his head, then looked at me with those beautiful blue eyes. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”  
  
He took my hand, and we went off to breakfast. I decided not to question what we were or what we should be, or if it was too soon to feel what I was feeling. I was just going to let go and enjoy it.

-==\\\//==-


	16. Developments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to readers, new and old! I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn’t borrow from her belongs to me. 
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net, and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.

**Chapter Sixteen**

Developments

_Bella POV  
  
_ Alice and I were setting up laptops and chargers in production. We had been on calls with the label and then with Esme to work out some requests for specific shots. We hadn’t stepped off the bus until well after three, and we were way behind schedule.  
  
Alice decided to vent her frustration at the lackluster day by wearing her strawberry covered ‘bite me’ tee.  
  
“Afternoon,” Jasper grunted as he headed to the coffee pot. I nodded to him and continued to work on the snake nest that used to be my power cords muttering a constant stream of curse words that would have impressed even Sam.  
  
“Heya, Jasper. Did you just get your lazy ass out of bed?!” Alice accused as she crawled out from under the table.  
  
He turned to her and froze then strode quickly out of the room. “Bite me… boots…trying to kill me...” was all that I could make out of his muttering.  
  
“What?” she turned to me, looking completely baffled. “What did I say?”  
  
I shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t like your shirt?”  
  
“Boys,” we said together and shrugged.  
  
After triumphantly finishing with my cords and setting up my laptop, I headed to see if there was any food left. Luckily, there was some chicken and something that may have once been called a salad. I settled for the chicken and vowed to buy a multivitamin next time I managed to get to a store.  
  
I went outside to scout out an eating location. Edward was parked on some old crates behind the venue with his own plate of food, so I decided to join him.  
  
“This is becoming a regular habit,” I laughed as I perched beside him and dug into my meal.  
  
“I know, this is what, the third time you’ve joined me for an elegant gourmet dinner,” he said, waving a greasy drumstick vaguely.  
  
“You better be careful, you’re setting the bar pretty high, how do you follow up on the fried chicken date?”  
  
“Don’t worry, I’ve been holding out on you. There’s still a whole world of Asian takeout we have yet to explore. I’ve been keeping it as my ace in the hole.” He smiled, but it quickly turned to a frown. “I didn’t know you were considering these as dates, though. Traditionally, the third date is the sex date, and I’m completely unprepared. I suppose I could just take you against the wall here. They’d certainly appreciate the show.” He nodded toward the small group of female fans that were obviously debating about coming over to talk to Edward while he was eating dinner.  
  
Blood rushed to my cheeks, but I tried to play it down and responded with theatrical sadness. “I’m not much for audiences.” I gave myself a mental pat on the back for managing to speak without choking on my food. My heart was another story. There was no hope of keeping that under control as it tried to beat its way out of my chest. Beautiful visions of Edward grinding me into a wall filled my mind, and I felt the blush deepen.  
  
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He nodded, and we both broke out into laughter. This seemed to encourage the small throng of fans, and they started to wander over casually.  
  
“Bella, just so you know. This isn’t a date, but you did agree to go out with me, and I will be taking you up on that very shortly. Oh, and I’m perfectly sober at the moment too.”  
  
I blinked like an owl a few times before the fans joined us, and Edward started talking animatedly with them as he signed autographs. He shot me a smile as I left him to it, and I wandered off to eat the rest of my meal in silence.

\--==\\\//==--

_Alice POV  
  
_ Bella was barely out the door before my evil grin broke out. I knew precisely what Jasper’s problem was, but I wasn’t going to back off now. I was just starting to have fun. True, I had let him off the hook before, but the game was on again.  
  
I sighed and frowned as my mind turned back to a less enjoyable task than making Jasper insane with lust. I still had to find out what James had been doing over the last few years. I’d been putting it off, but I had the office to myself. Now was as good a time as any.  
  
Weighing my options for a final time, I went through the list of Charlie’s friends and co-workers in my head. I needed this information, but I definitely didn’t want Charlie and Renee to know that James was sniffing around again. They would be sick with worry. I would tell them, of course, but not until after we had an idea of what he was up to.  
  
I went with my instinct to call Mark. He had been Charlie’s deputy before he’d moved a few towns over to become a sheriff. I was reasonably sure he wouldn’t tell Charlie if I asked him not to. As long as I explained that no one was in danger and that I was just checking up on James to see where he’d been for the past four years. If Bella needed to get another restraining order, the whole thing would come out regardless. I brought up an online directory and found the number for Mark’s office.  
  
Mark picked up the line, and I smiled and remember how much I loved how down to earth small towns were. “Hey, Mark, it’s Alice. Alice Brandon.”  
  
“Alice! How are you?”  
  
I exchanged updates with Mark about our families and jobs, but he cut through the small talk quickly. “It’s nice to hear from you, kiddo, but you’re not calling me from out of state to chat. What’s up?”  
  
“Yeah, I do actually need something.”  
  
“Why aren’t you asking Charlie?” he asked shrewdly.  
  
“It’s about James. I don’t want to worry them if I don’t have to.”  
  
I heard a heavy sigh on the other end of the line and then some keyboard strokes. “Just promise me if there’s any danger Alice, you’ll tell your father.”  
  
“I will, Mark. I promise.”  
  
“Alright, let’s see what he’s been up to then.” He muttered to himself for a moment, and I could hear him typing sporadically. “Hmm, James has been busy.”  
  
I took a deep breath to prepare myself. “Let me have it.”  
  
“Well, about 6 months after your confrontation with him, he faced some drug charges. Nothing major, he got some community service, it went downhill from there. He has an assault charge. It looks like it was a bar fight, but it got nasty. He attacked a guy with a broken bottle, did a fair bit of damage. He got a year for that, but his sentence was extended for some fighting while he was locked up.  
  
“After he got out, he was arrested on another assault. Someone in a hotel called in to report sounds of fighting in the next room. When the cops got there, they caught him with a prostitute. He’d beat her up pretty badly.”  
  
James had definitely upped his game since his time with Bella. I sighed, “Sounds like his temper hasn’t improved.”  
  
“Nope, not at all. He had a chance at a sentence reduction if he agreed to therapy, but he refused. Not that this guy was ever good news, but he’s definitely worse than he was. Don’t take any chances with him, Alice. I meant what I said about telling your father.”  
  
“Thanks Mark, I appreciate it.”  
  


\--==\\\//==--

_Edward POV_

Remembering Bella’s face when I’d offered a little quality time between me and a wall, I smiled broadly. Of course, I was teasing, but I still had to keep my mind from wandering so that my thoughts wouldn’t have a visible effect. I stepped outside while trying to convince myself that I wasn’t just walking around, hoping to run into Bella.  
  
I heard her voice around the corner and stopped. Something about it didn’t sound right. It was strained like she was forcing herself to be calm. I listened more carefully as the other voice made its way to me.  
  
“Come now, Isabelle, you can’t be too busy to talk to your husband, what does that say about you exactly?”  
  
“Really, James, I have a lot to do. And you’re not my husband anymore; you’re my ex-husband.”  
  
“That wasn’t my decision, and I never agreed to it. I thought your word meant more to you than that. It used to. You gave you word to honor and obey me until your death.”  
  
“I would have come back to you sooner to sort this all out like I knew you’d want to, but it was out of my control. You must want to work this out with me, Isabelle, any decent person would.”  
  
I took a deep breath and willed myself to remain calm. No question as to why Bella was stressed, or who this was. No one but James would talk to Bella like that. I hadn’t even been here two minutes, and he was already trying to make her question herself. I stepped around the corner and forced myself to smile widely at Bella. She looked down, unmistakably ashamed, and the desire to hurt this man washed over me again.  
  
“Hey, Bella, everything okay?”  
  
“Yes, it’s fine Edward. I think Carlisle was looking for you earlier, he’s just coming out of the bus with Jasper now.” She blushed deeply, and I knew she was trying to get me to leave. _Not bloody likely._ I opened my mouth to speak again when James cut across me.  
  
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, _Isabelle_ ,” James emphasized her name and looked at me with a smile before training his eyes on her again. “Your manners haven’t improved any I see.” His tone was light and joking, but it was another dig at her.  
  
I felt my fists clench and looked away from James at Jasper. His eyebrows rose, and a shocked looked crossed his face as he took in my expression and the fury there. He walked over to our small group quickly.  
  
“Hi guys,” he said to Bella and I. Her eyes closed tightly shrunk into herself a little more as she stared at her feet. She looked positively mortified. “Jasper, Edward, this is James,” she said, pointing to each of us in turn. Her eyes never met ours. Everything about her body language had changed from the Bella I knew. “James, Edward is the guitarist, and Jasper is the singer and bassist of the band I’m working for now.”  
  
Jasper turned to me, and I could see all the pieces locking into place as he realized the reason for my anger and why Bella was acting so strangely.  
  
“I came to visit my wife. She’s been hard to find.”  
  
“Ex-wife, James,” Bella whispered. Her voice may have been soft, but it was definitely icy. Suddenly it dawned on me that while Bella was very uncomfortable around James, Having us here made it worse; she was terrified of what James might do or say to us. Alice had told me repeatedly that she was worried about how we would react to him, but seeing it in person was something else entirely.

James ignored Bella’s correction. “I was surprised when I found out what she was doing. You guys must have your hands full, what with all the music stuff, then having to keep an eye on Bella too. I always found that she did her best work when I supervised her closely. She never could get a project off the ground on her own; she got in over her head too easily. When we worked together, the results were spectacular. She’s not untalented, of course, but she does need a lot of guidance.”  
  
It was taking all of my self-control not to strangle him in front of the watching fans. “Really? Maybe it was the leadership she was under. The work she’s done for us has been above and beyond expectations. She and Alice provide professional results, unlike anything we’ve seen before. Perhaps she just needed the space to spread her wings and be free… to discover her strengths, I mean.”  
  
Bella shot me an appreciative look, but I didn’t like her body language. Just by having him here, she seemed… smaller.  
  
I turned back to James again. “So how is it that you came to find out that she was working with us?”  
  
“oh, I have friends everywhere; important information has a way of just finding me. Isabelle knows that.” He put his arm around her shoulders, and I saw a shudder run through her body.  
  
I stepped forward, ready to rip his arm from the socket, but Jasper was faster. He moved to Bella’s side and pulled her gently away from James. Even though I could tell that he wasn’t any happier than I was, he stayed calm and diffused the situation.  
  
“You’ll have to excuse us, James,” Jasper said coolly. “I need Bella and Edward inside for a meeting. We’re about to have a conference call.”  
  
“That’s fine, I’ll step in and wait, I’d like to chat with Isabelle some more.” I realized then why he refused to call her by the name she preferred. Every time he said Isabelle, she shuddered almost imperceptibly. For reasons I didn’t want to think about, it was a trigger for her. My body coiled tighter. This man was making me realize levels of anger I hadn’t thought myself capable of before.  
  
“That isn’t possible, security issues and all that. Plus, after the call, we have some other logistics to go through. Bella’s busy for the rest of the day.” Without giving James time to argue, Jasper put a hand on my back and pushed me toward the venue. He shielded Bella by putting his arm around her and walked with her inside the building.  
  
The doors closed behind him, and he brought Bella to me. “I should go and find Alice. Bella, are you alright?”  
  
She still looked embarrassed and blushed slightly again. “I’m fine, Jasper, really, I can tell Alice later that he’s here. Don’t trouble yourself.”  
  
“Nah, I need to catch up with her anyway, something tells me that she wants me to read her shirt as much as possible today.” With that cryptic remark, he smiled warmly at Bella and strode off.  
  
She nodded and watched him go. I noticed how she still shrunk into herself, so guarded and uncertain. This wasn’t the confident, playful Bella that was slowly coming out of her shell.  
  
“I wasn’t even there for the whole thing, and he insulted you at least three times,” I said quietly.  
  
“Yeah, that’s James. If you can believe it, he thinks he’s subtle,” she laughed weakly. “Honestly, Edward, I’m fine. I’m sorry you had to see all that. I’ll try to keep him out of your hair from now on.” She turned and walked quickly from the room and pretended not to hear me when I called after her.  
  
I was torn between chasing her down and giving her the space she seemed to want. I decided on finding Alice for her take on this. I decided on the latter and strode off in the direction Jasper had disappeared in. I found them talking on the bus. Alice looked up questioningly as I came up the stairs.   
  
“She wouldn’t talk to me. She apologized for us having to see that and ran off the dressing room. She’s thrown herself into some work now,” I answered her unspoken question bitterly.  
  
“It’s not about you, you know that right?” she asked softly.  
  
“Yes, I know, and I’m not sure if that’s not just as upsetting.”  
  
Alice shook her head sadly. She started to relay Bella’s story from a few days ago when she first met James again. I cut her off and told her Bella had already filled me in.  
  
Alice looked pleased with that. “She told you? That’s a good sign. The more she talks about it, the better it is. She’s so caught up in thinking this is her fault and something she needs to hide from her friends.”  
  
“She doesn’t honestly think he could make us fire her?” I spat. I knew there was an intricate weave of manipulation and emotion going on here, but the idea just seemed so ridiculous.  
  
“No, I doubt it. It’s more that she’s dreading what he might try and how many more people will have to get involved. She doesn’t want anything to do with him ever again. Bella sees everything that happened with clarity now, but at the same time, she feels like James is her own personal disease. She doesn’t want to inflict him on anyone else.”  
  
I ran a hand through my hair, trying not to let my frustration consume me. Alice then filled us in on what she’d found out about James’ criminal record in the years after Bella left him.  
  
“So he’s not just a manipulative asshole, he’s a dangerous, manipulative asshole,” I said, and pinched the bridge of my nose.  
  
“All you can do is be there for her, Edward. I know it’s hard when she shuts you out, believe me.” Alice scowled bitterly. “I’ve learned that with Bella, you can only push so hard. She’s close to a breakthrough on this one believe it or not, and you’re instrumental to that.”  
  
I looked up at her with surprise.  
  
“She cares for you, she really does, but James made her question herself on every level. She closed her heart off completely after him until she met you.” She stood up, reached for Jasper’s hand, and gave it a light squeeze of thanks. She walked past me and put her hand on my arm. “Give her time, please don’t give up on her.”  
  
“Not bloody likely,” I laughed.  
  
She smiled warmly. “Now I think I need to go find her. I don’t like to let her get lost in her head at times like this.” She started to descend the steps but stopped and turned back to me. “Edward, if you do _accidentally_ run into James, don’t do anything stupid. The last thing Bella would want is for you to rack up assault charges…or worse.”  
  
“If I did something to him, it would definitely be worse than assault,” I grumbled as she walked away.  
  
I turned back to Jasper, who was watching me with an appraising gaze. “I’m going for a walk.”  
  
It was a beautiful day. The bright blue sky was artfully dotted with fluffy clouds, and the sun’s warmth was perfected by the light breeze that stirred the air just the right amount. All of it seemed to exist only to mock my dark mood.  
  
Every time Bella and I started to make progress, he showed up and undid it. That made me sound horribly selfish, but it was more than just my relationship with her. I knew that I was good for her. In the past weeks, she had become more open and relaxed. Even her confidence was growing. Alice had noticed it and mentioned it to me more than once.  
  
I just hoped that my positive reinforcement was more powerful than the doubt he fed her. Unfortunately, he had the advantage of being ingrained in her memory and probably her nightmares too. Rounding the corner of the venue, I saw red. James was still here, laughing and carrying on with some of the fans that had lined up early.  
  
I stopped and took a deep breath, forcing my body to be still when every nerve ending wanted to propel me to his side and turn his face into a bloody pulp.  
  
I stiffly crossed the space between us. He noticed my approach, and a disgusted look crossed his face. He changed it to a welcoming smile, but not fast enough for it to escape my notice.  
  
My eyes locked with James’ the moment he saw me, neither of us was willing to look break eye contact. I nodded at the fans in line without seeing them.  
  
“I need a word in private.” It wasn’t a request, so I didn’t bother phrasing it as one.  
  
He sneered and moved away, finally breaking the eye contact and turning his back to me, flaunting the fact that he knew I was powerless. There was nothing I could do in front of a crowd.  
  
He moved out of hearing range of the group and smiled again. I felt the need to take a shower, just being this close to him.  
  
“Hello again, um Edwin, was it?”   
  
“Edward,” I said, somewhat surprised he was going to resort to childish games like this.  
  
“Oh right, Edward, of course. What did you want to speak with me about, Edward?”  
  
This guy was definitely trying to push my buttons. The fact that I refused to let him get the better of me was the only thing keeping me in control right now.  
  
“You’re not welcome here, James. Stay the hell away from us and anywhere we are. Most of all, stay the fuck away from Bella.”  
  
I watched as all pretense fell from his face. Apparently, he hadn’t expected me to be quite so direct.  
  
“I don’t see what business it is of yours what happens between my wife and I. _Bella—_ ” he said her name correctly, but with a sneer of contempt “—is mine and you need to understand that. You shouldn’t put your nose where it doesn’t belong, or you’re going to get hurt.”  
  
Before I realized what I was doing, I had grabbed him and shoved him against the bus. “She’s not yours, asshole. She is not a pet or a piece of property. She’s not even your wife anymore. Even with all you did to control her, she still left you.”  
  
I was the one pushing buttons now, and I was better at it. His face was starting to turn red as his anger boiled over. Things might have gotten ugly between us if Jasper hadn’t decided to follow me and make sure I stayed clear of trouble.  
  
“Ok, ok, that’s enough,” Jasper said in his best calming voice as he pulled my hands off James. He bent down and picked up the jacket I’d apparently had knocked from James’ arm and shoved it at him roughly. “As I’m sure Edward has already explained, we don’t want you here. Please leave quietly before things get worse than they have to be”  
  
James wasn’t going without the last word, though.  
  
“Listen, you fucking pretty boy, she’s mine, and she always will be. She’s coming back to me, so you keep your god damned hands off her, or she’ll be sorry.”  
  
The threat against Bella sobered me, unlike anything else he had said. It made me realize that, regardless of who was responsible for the action, James would blame Bella for any perceived transgressions. I shook my head at the pathetic threat and decided not to provoke him more than I already had.  
  
“Are you enjoying your walk?” Jasper’s voice was full of condescension. “You know, getting him worked up doesn’t help anyone, least of all, Bella.”  
  
I nodded and sighed. “I didn’t come looking for him. Once I saw him, though, I couldn’t help myself.”  
  
“You’ll have to in the future. If you two start fighting over Bella, she stands to get hurt worse than either of you. Which would mean that you’re doing it for yourself, not to protect her. You don’t need to get into a pissing contest with him. Everyone, including Bella, knows exactly what he is. Besides, do you want to be on the same side of anything as James? Especially when that side is against Bella’s wishes?” Jasper stooped down again to pick something up. I watched, and he unfolded the piece of paper, and the blood drained from his face.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“It’s Lauren.”  
  
I groaned. “That’s the last thing I need today. Where are they?”  
  
“No, how James found Bella. It was Lauren. This must have fallen from James’ pocket.”  
  
The paper was a printed copy of a series of emails. Once the blind rage had passed, read the conversation a second time to make sure I hadn’t missed any of it.

_From: Lauren M  
To: James Laurent_

_Subject: Re: Re: An Old Flame  
  
My father does business with the same attorney that represented you. He said you would probably be interested in knowing that all restraining orders that were taken out against you have lapsed.  
  
He thought that you might want to see Bella again. She’s currently on tour with Midnight Sun.  
  
She does photographs and website stuff with her sister, but there are a lot of people who think that there may be some other things in their job description. Rumors have her getting pretty close with the band, all of the band, if you know what I mean. It’s not very professional if you ask me.  
  
Maybe if someone she trusted told her how bad things looked from the outside, she’d listen to them.  
  
You should show up early to one of their shows someday._

_  
L._

_\-----Original Message-----_

_From: James Laurent  
To: Lauren M  
Subject: RE: An Old Flame  
  
Who are you? How did you get this address?  
  
If you know where Isabelle is tell me._

_From: Lauren M  
To: James Laurent  
Subject: An Old Flame  
  
Do you know Isabella Swan?  
  
I've been told you might be interested in her current whereabouts.  
  
L._

The second page was a print out with a number of our tour dates circled. If he’d been to all these shows, then he’d been watching Bella long before he’d made his presence known to her.  
  
I had been stewing in varying levels of anger for a good portion of the afternoon. Now, something else washed over me, and it felt like it could do even more damage than the fires of rage. A calm, cold fury at Lauren and her games extinguished every lick of flame that the anger had filled me with.  
  
Lauren and possibly Jessica’s petty jealousy had put Bella in genuine danger. They had to know by now that they never had any real chance with us. They were persistent, uncomfortable even, but I hadn’t thought they were delusional or really dangerous.  
  
Perhaps, as long as they didn’t see any competition, they had been content to keep trying. When Bella came into the picture and Lauren had to face reality, she must have started to scheme. I didn’t know how much she knew about James and Bella, but she had known enough to use him as a weapon, and she’d pointed him at Bella like a loaded gun.  
  
I turned toward Jasper and saw him watching the crowd intently. Following his gaze, I saw Lauren and Jessica smiling and waving at us excitedly.  
  
“Come on, Jasper. We need to deal with them, and I don’t want to do it out here.”  
  
Jasper nodded and followed me back inside.  
  
Emmett and Carlisle were already in the dressing room when we arrived. It was quickly decided that Esme should be a part of this meeting, and Carlisle promptly got her on speakerphone. After discussing the situation and deciding on a plan, Carlisle went outside to retrieve the two women.   
  
Typically, the band members wouldn’t become directly involved in a situation such as this. It might even be misinterpreted as a reward, as strange as that sounded in my mind. Everyone talked it over and agreed that this was important enough that the three of use should be part of the meeting. We felt the message would be even stronger coming from us than an impersonal letter from management or our lawyers. Already familiar with the way they worked, Carlisle decided the meeting would be recorded and filed away for future use if needed.  
  
As far as we were concerned, someone had intentionally put one of us in danger. It didn’t matter if it was a member of the band or the crew, we considered each other family, and there was no way this was going to slide.  
  
The two girls were beaming as they entered the room. As far as I could remember, neither had been backstage or in our dressing room before. They looked like they had just won the lottery. I saw two female security guards step in silently behind them.  
  
“Oh my god! Hi guys. It’s been like forever since we’ve seen you!”  
  
Lauren started to cross the room, presumably to hug me or hang off me like she usually did. I held up a hand, and she stopped immediately. Something in my face must have clued her in that this was not a social call because her smile fell, and a look of confusion replaced it. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“This.” I handed the copy of the paper James had dropped.  
  
“How did—“  
  
“Does it matter?”  
  
Jessica stepped up behind her and looked at the paper. Her reaction would tell us if Jessica knew about Lauren’s plan. Jessica’s face immediately looked ashamed.  
  
Lauren surveyed the faces in the room, clearly doing some quick thinking. Her face took on a defiant look. “What’s the big deal? A few people wanted to know more about the people who brought us all fantastic stuff online, so Jessica and I did some research. I’m very resourceful. We just thought Bella would be happy to see an old friend.”  
  
Emmett scoffed. “ _That’s_ that best you can come up with? You obviously pride yourself on your ability to manipulate people. If that’s all you can do in a tight spot, you’re not even as good as me, and I suck at it.”  
  
Despite the unwelcome advances, we had always tried to be polite when fending off these two. This was the first time one of us had said something unkind to them, and it had been Emmett who she’d probably thought was incapable of it. It rattled Lauren, and she seemed at a loss for what to say next.  
  
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter what your excuse is.”  
  
Jasper took over, knowing that if I was allowed to continue, unkind would be the least of their worries. “Jessica, Lauren, you know Carlisle, of course, and Esme from our management company is also on the phone.” Esme’s brisk hello came from the black phone on the table.  
  
“You’re here because we need to make something clear to you. This email shows that you’ve done some research into Bella’s past. That you found James and knew it would be disruptive if he was reintroduced into her life.  
  
“I cannot put into words how disgusted we are that you would take information like that and use it against anyone, let alone someone that we care for. I have to admit that I didn’t think you were capable of it. Even though we’ve never been close, I didn’t think you would ever want to hurt us.”  
  
“But we didn’t do anything to _you_. We’d never hurt you guys!” Lauren looked horrified at the thought, and Jasper shook his head in frustration.  
  
“Bella and Alice have become part of our road family. You went out of your way to put Bella in danger and cause her trouble. More than anything else, it shows how selfish and petty you are. That might make this challenging to understand, but by attacking Bella, you have attacked everyone in this room.  
  
“Alice has already told you that you are no longer welcome at our shows. You haven’t taken her seriously considering that you’re here. We’ve decided that telling you ourselves should leave nothing open to interpretation. That is the only reason we have allowed this final meeting.  
  
“We do not want to see you again. Esme and Carlisle will be taking steps with security at all future shows to make it known that you should not be let in. What you have done here is unforgivable. We want nothing more to do with either of you. These security guards will escort you from the premises.”  
  
I watched as Lauren’s chin wobbled, then tears burst from her eyes. She managed one shout of “No!” before the security guard took her arm and walked her out. Jessica looked like she was in shock as she turned and followed her friend.  
  
I couldn’t take any satisfaction from the outcome, no matter what we did in retaliation, the damage had been done, and James had re-entered Bella’s life. The day finally caught up with me, and I was drained. I tried to focus on conversation in the room but ended up staring at the wall in a daze.  
  
“Edward? Edward!” Emmett’s meaty hand waved in front of my eyes. I blinked and turned toward him.  
  
“It’s alive!” He laughed and slapped me on the back. “You look like shit, man. Go take a break on the bus. Get some sleep or something. We still have to do a show tonight, remember?”  
  
I nodded and rubbed my face before dragging myself upright and walking to the bus like a zombie. All I wanted at that moment was to be in Bella’s presence. I didn’t need to touch her or speak with her; I just wanted to know she was ok and to be there if she needed me.  
  
I made sure the bus door was locked behind me. The last thing I wanted right now was to have to deal with something else. I stretched out on the couch and tried to relax, but no matter how exhausted my body was, my mind refused to cooperate.  
  
The sight of James speaking down to Bella and her cringing away kept replaying, only to be replaced by his threats and Lauren’s malice toward her. Bella didn’t deserve these things, and no matter how hard I tried, there was nothing I could do to protect her from them.  
  
A soft knock on the door pulled me from my musing. I debated about ignoring it but finally decided to see who it was. I looked through the gap in the curtain to see Bella standing at the door, and she looked like a woman on a mission. My fatigue was forgotten the moment I saw her, and I sprang lightly down the steps to unlock the door. Bella motioned for me to step down, and my brow creased with curiosity.  
  
Without a word, Bella reached her arms around my neck and pulled me down to her. Suddenly her lips were on mine. There was no hesitancy in this kiss, it was a statement. I didn’t realize that I was frozen with shock until I felt one of her hands reach down to mine and pull it around her waist.  
  
That was all the encouragement I needed. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to me tightly as I returned her motions greedily. I felt the corner of her lips pull up and took the opportunity to deepen our kiss. Her lips parted for me, and our tongues met as the intensity between us rose. Her hands tightened in my hair, and my control wavered a little more.  
  
I spun us around so that I could press her against the bus. Bella’s hands started to roam over my back, and things were just starting to get really enjoyable when we were brought back to reality by a wolf whistle from behind us.  
  
I felt Bella freeze, and I turned toward the crowd that was gathered outside of the venue. A few of the girls were fanning themselves dramatically. More than one person had a cell phone out to record the entire scene. As Bella peeked out from behind me, stilted clapping started, and it quickly grew into full-blown applause. James was still in the back of the crowd, and he looked livid.  
  
I looked back at Bella, who was beet red by now. “Maybe we should go inside and talk?”  
  
“You could have suggested that before the PDA.”  
  
“I was going to, but someone jumped me before I could speak.” I kissed her lightly on the forehead and opened the door for her. She giggled and sprang up the steps. If I didn’t know that there still a half dozen cameras on me, I would have done a fist pump before joining her.  
  
Bella was sitting on the couch, looking rather pleased with herself. I certainly wasn’t upset at this development, but the sudden change in attitude took me by surprise. I was expecting to have to coax her out of her shell again. She smiled up at me and patted the couch beside her.  
  
“Not that I’m complaining,” I said as I sat down and pulled her to my side, “but what brought that on?”  
  
“Alice.”  
  
“I always knew I liked her for a reason.”  
  
She laughed and smacked at me. “Alice has a way of making things very clear. She pointed out that I was still letting James control my life. When I got angry and disagreed, she asked me what I would be doing right now if he hadn’t shown up. Then she left with that smug, know it all smile that she has before I could answer.  
  
“I thought about it for a couple of seconds before everything suddenly made sense. Needless to say, Alice was right as usual. So I came out here to find you and do what I should have done a long, long time ago. I kind of forgot about the audience when I saw you, though. Sorry about that.”  
  
I laughed and kissed the top of her head. “You can go cavewoman on me any time you like. I do have one request, though.”  
  
“What’s that?”  
  
“The next time you kiss me like that, I don’t want it to be in response to James. I want it to because I’m so irresistible that you can’t keep your lips off of me.”  
  
She smiled devilishly, and a shiver of anticipation shot down my spine. I liked this new side of Bella.  
  
“That’s not going to be a problem,” she said and leaned toward me.

\--==\\\//==--


	17. Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated, thank you!
> 
> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn’t borrow from her belongs to me. 
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net, and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Games**

_Bella POV_

Today had been a good day. It was one of those days when everything goes right. The show had gone smoothly, the crowd had been energetic, and everyone seemed to come away from the show charged rather than drained. After the crap with James a couple of days ago, I felt I was more than owed this. I drank deeply from my beer and sighed contentedly. Everyone seemed to feel the same way.  
  
We were spread out in the dressing room. Carlisle was flipping through some stills on Alice’s Camera, Emmett was chatting with Edward while drumming on the back of the couch, Jasper was showing Alice some basic chords on Edward’s acoustic guitar. I was sitting across the room, flaked out, and reveling in the relaxed atmosphere.  
  
Suddenly Jasper jumped up and retrieved a notebook from across the room and started to write in it.  
  
“Are you taking notes?” Alice asked him as he continued to write.  
  
“No, I just had an idea. If I don’t write them down, I might forget, or worse, they haunt me.” He smirked at her.  
  
I was contemplating my drink as he said this. "Yeah, don't you hate it when ideas come into your head and dance around like naked men until you take advantage of them properly? All dangly and jiggling...." I stopped gesturing in the air as I realized I was actually saying this out loud and looked up at the group. "Maybe that's just in my head." I blushed brightly and muttered to the stunned, silent faces.  
  
"And how exactly do you take advantage of these naked men, Bella?" Edward said with an eyebrow cocked.

“Fuck me gently with a chainsaw,” I said much louder than I’d intended.  
  
Everyone burst out laughing.  
  
“This is why I keep telling you people to stop giving me alcohol! My verbal filter is allergic to it! No one needs to know the strange and twisted things in my head,” I wailed and threw my face into my hands. The group broke into another round of raucous laughter at my expense. I looked up again and met Edward’s eyes. He was smiling sweetly at me.  
  
“I always want to know what you’re thinking, especially when your thoughts are so thoroughly entertaining.” I grabbed a pillow from behind me and sent it flying at his head.   
  
Carlisle cut through the hysterics. “All right now that you’re all sufficiently drunk, I can tell you this without fear of bodily harm. There will be a stylist at the venue tomorrow—“  
  
The three musicians started groaning as Alice, and I looked at each other in confusion.  
  
“There will be a stylist at the venue tomorrow,” Carlisle repeated, raising his voice over the mutinous complaints. “And I expect you all to visit her. The New York show is coming, and we have to start planning the photoshoots for the advanced press and artwork. You also have to decide what you’re wearing for it the show. Esme seems to think that you don’t understand the importance of your image for this recording.”  
  
“You knew you’d never get away with this if we weren’t drunk, right?” said a surly Emmett.  
  
Alice giggled at all the muttering. “It’s like you just told them they have to wear a suit for school picture day.”  
  
“You’d be surprised how often you can compare them to children.” Carlisle sighed, rubbing his eyes.  
  
“You know we’re still right here, and if I’m not mistaken, we’re responsible for both of your paychecks,” Jasper said coldly.  
  
Carlisle and Alice looked at each other with mirrored exasperation, and I fell into a fit of laughter.

\--==\\\//==--

_Edward POV  
  
_ I grinned at Alice as she almost literally dragged herself to the table.  
  
Bella smiled and addressed the rest of the breakfast table filled with the band and crew. “You guys have no idea what I have to deal with in the mornings. Compared to most days, this is good.” Alice picked up a bagel and threw it at her head.  
  
Bella smiled sweetly and signaled the waitress. “Your aim is much better after you’ve had caffeine. You might want to have a coffee before you try homicide by bread again.”  
  
Alice grunted and tracked the coffee pot in the waitress’ hand as it made its way to us. I chuckled and turned back to the rest of the group, where Carlisle was outlining a schedule update.  
  
“The weather is still looking bad for the southern leg of the tour. If it keeps raining down there, there’s going to be massive flooding. The shows will most likely be canceled, but we won’t be able to make a final decision until Friday. If we cancel everything in that area, we’ll have a block of about seven free days. We’ll need to decide if we want to rebook elsewhere or take it off.”  
  
I turned back to Bella, more interested in what she was doing. Her face had warring expressions of distaste and amusement as she watched Alice inhale her coffee. When the pixie seemed a little more alert and capable of conversation, Bella began to question her.  
  
“I thought you were going to sleep in, what changed your mind?”   
  
“It was your fault,” Alice said with venom.  
  
“How is that possible? I wasn’t even in the room.”  
  
“Dad called. Apparently, he and mom have taken to watching gossip shows.”  
  
I felt the entire table grow quiet as the focus shifted to the conversation happening at my end of the table. Bella became very focused on her bagel.  
  
Alice eyed her but then quickly turned to me. “I have a message for you, Edward. Charlie said to tell you—and this is a direct quote—‘I’ve been a police officer for almost thirty years. I’ve learned a lot in that time. I don’t care how famous he is, I can still kill him and hide his body where no one will ever find it.’”  
  
Uncontained laughter drifted down the table as I rubbed my neck sheepishly. Not the way I would have chosen to be introduced to Bella’s parents.  
  
Bella poked at her bagel again. “I don’t see how it’s my fault if irresponsible reporters choose to entertain unfounded rumors,” she muttered.  
  
Alice’s head whipped back to her, and I winced for the upcoming tongue lashing I could see gathering on Alice’s face. “Unfounded? Bella, unfounded, is when an unidentified source heard that your best friend’s maid’s dog walker saw you out holding hands. Unfounded is NOT six different angles of _you_ attacking _him_ with your tongue outside the bus!” Alice pointed her spoon at each of us violently as she said this. I wiped flecks of coffee off my face and looked at Bella to see what she’d say next. There was no way I was getting involved in this one. I valued my life too much.  
  
“I was just doing what you—“ She stopped suddenly when Alice narrowed her eyes.  
  
“I implied that you might want to go talk to him. I did not tell you to eat his face in front of a group of fans, Bella.”  
  
I distinctly heard Carlisle snort at this before clearing his throat. “Okay, Okay. I think we can agree that even though there was no harm done—“ Alice harrumphed “—in the future, perhaps more discretion is advised.”  
  
That was Carlisle, consummate peacemaker. I went back to eating my breakfast, happy to have made it through the conversation unscathed. Alice seemed to forgive Bella’s transgressions throughout the course of the meal, and all tension dissipated.

“Alright now that I’m awake, I need to go have a shower.” Alice sighed as she got up from the table.

I shook my head and laughed at the change in attitude since she’d arrived at the table. “Alice, remind me to never wake you up early.”  
  
She chuckled and headed for the elevator. Bella was the next to stand. “I guess I’m off too. I have a lot to do today. I’m just going to grab a tea at the breakfast bar and head up. I’ll be in our room if anyone needs me today.”  
  
I watched as she walked across the room. She looked better fresh out of bed than most of the women who spent hours getting made up. I still hadn’t decided how I was going to ask her out tonight, and now seemed as good a time as any. I got up and walked across the crowded room toward her. I snickered as I noticed that she was watching my progress and stirring a cup of hot water.  
  
“Uh, hi…what’s up?” she stammered.  
  
“Well, you owe me a date. I came to let you know I plan to collect. Tonight.”  
  
“Um…okay?”  
  
She definitely left it as a question. After everything, it was as though she still didn’t quite grasp my attraction to her. I waited for her to get over the shock she seemed to be experiencing.  
  
“Where are we going?” she said finally.  
  
“It’s a surprise.”   
  
She groaned. “Edward, if I tell Alice that we’re going out and she has no idea how to dress me, she will find you, and she will make you a sad, sad, man. Is that what you want?”  
  
“Fine. Dress casual. Whatever makes you most comfortable.”  
  
“Sweats?” she said doubtfully.  
  
I laughed. “If that’s what makes you most comfortable, definitely.”  
  
The look of sheer pleasure that crossed her face was glorious. Then her brow furrowed darkly. “What now?” I asked hesitantly.  
  
“Two things. First, where the hell are you going to take me that sweats will be appropriate? Second, Alice still may come after you; she hates it when I wear my sweats.”  
  
“As long as you are comfortable, dealing with Alice will be worth it.” I pushed a strand of hair that had escaped her clip behind her ear. I smiled again and turned to head up to my room.   
  
“Eight o’clock, and you’re going to be having dinner with me,” I called back.  
  
After breakfast, I made my way to the venue. Although there was no show tonight, we had managed to grab some extra time in a few cities for rehearsals. The last show of the tour in New York was going to be filmed for release. This meant more rehearsals, more meetings, and things like photoshoots. None of that bothered me as much as what I was currently doing, though. I flicked through the rack of clothes the stylist had brought and frowned.  
  
She had tried to put me into some genuinely horrendous outfits. She had leotard for fuck sake. I hated this whole side of the industry, it seemed so contrived. I was perfectly happy to wear the same clothes I wore for every other show, but when you’ve got a manager that you trust like family and knows his job better than most people know the back of their hands, sometimes its best just to take his advice.  
  
“I am not wearing that,” I stated petulantly as she pulled out leather pants.  
  
“Oh, I’ll take those,” said a voice from the door.  
  
I looked back to see who the alien creature was. _  
  
_“Jasper? What the fuck?”  
  
“Afraid I’ll look hotter than you?” he laughed.  
  
I stared at him, bewildered.  
  
“I’m not going to wear them on stage; I just want to try them on.”  
  
I shook my head and wondered if the water here was safe.  
  
“I can deal with these,” I said, picking out an artfully faded pair of jeans and a fitted black shirt with silver buttons. I looked over at Jasper, who was now eyeing a pair of low rise jeans, the kind that creeps ever lower and needs to be continuously adjusted. He looked very pleased with them.  
  
“Were you abducted by aliens last night? You know you can talk to me about it, even if they did probing, I promise I won’t laugh.”  
  
He shook his head at me and turned to the stylist. “Why don’t you go grab some lunch, I have someone coming down to give me some opinions. By the time you get back, I’ll have my stuff picked out.”  
  
“Okay, I have a couple of things picked out here if you want to try them. I’ll be back in about an hour,” The stylist shot us both a friendly smile and left the room. I looked at him as comprehension dawned on my face.  
  
“Alice.”  
  
He nodded.  
  
“The fuck me boots?”  
  
He nodded again.  
  
“The bite me shirt the other day?”  
  
“Fuck, yes.” He nodded a third time and smiled widely.  
  
I howled with laughter. “Have fun, man.”  
  
“I really plan to, don’t worry.”  
  
  


\--==\\\//==--

 _Jasper POV  
  
_ Edward left and turned to look through the racks for more fuel. I had been trying to formulate a plan for revenge on Alice since she wore that damned shirt. At the time, I couldn’t chalk the fuck me boots up to her solely trying to drive me mad, but I knew that the ‘ _bite me_ ’ shirt had been selected with the intent of inspiring my lust.  
  
Today was the day I got to turn the tables on my dear sweet Alice. Even though I had grumbled along with the rest last night, I was inwardly rejoicing that Carlisle had booked a stylist at such a convenient time. I had honestly been considering asking Alice to come shopping with me, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to pay quite that high a price, even for revenge. A man can only take so much.  
  
Alice drifted in about ten minutes later, complete with a bottle of lemonade and a few magazines. “Do I get to pick or are the outfits done, and you have to choose between them?” she trilled, looking excitedly at the racks.  
  
“A little of both, I have some stuff the stylist put together and some of my own choices. Take a seat on the couch, I’ll be right back.”  
  
I headed into the bathroom and put on the first truly hideous outfit. It was a bright green one-piece polyester jumpsuit.  
  
“Please, please, please, tell me that wasn’t one of your choices.” Alice look mortified.  
  
“Definitely not,” I grimaced and went to strip off the horrible outfit as quickly as possible. I couldn’t bring myself to try on the next selection, even for my purposes. The third I snorted as I put on. It was straight off of the cover of every cheesy romance novel I’d ever seen. Granted, that wasn’t a lot of them, but you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. I pulled the billowy white shirt on and steeled myself. Alice was going to lose her shit at this.  
  
I stepped out of the bathroom.  
  
"Oh, I like that one, all you need is long flowing hair, and you can rename yourself Claude or something like that," she gasped out between laughs as she fell over on the couch.  
  
I smiled serenely and decided I'd had enough of playing Mr. nice guy. I grabbed the leather pants on my way back into the bathroom.  
  
Why had no one ever told me how fucking hard it is to get into leather pants?! I mean, it’s not precisely knowledge worthy of going with the facts of life speech, but still, I felt that this was something I should have known. I didn’t know what Alice thought I was doing in here, but with all the grunting I was doing, I bet I could guess. I swore a few times for good measure.  
  
“Are you getting dressed or attacking something in there?”  
  
“Both? I don’t think these pants fit…” I trailed off as I walked out. For good measure, I had removed the shirt I was wearing and was now sporting my good old tank top.  
  
Her jaw hit the floor, and I suppressed a cry of triumph.  
  
“They feel tight in the back,” I said with my best complaining grumble as I turned around. “What do you think?”  
  
“Too. Tight.” She blinked at me as I looked back at her for her answer. Then she shook her head. “You…don’t uh…want to wear them for a long time, you’ll be chafed all to hell.”  
  
“Hmm,” I said, keeping my back turned to her and casually flipping through the rack. “Ok, I’ll try these then.” I grabbed the jeans I’d picked out earlier and walked just a little slower than I needed to back to the bathroom.  
  
Good god, the leather was worth it, but I don’t think I’d ever wear it again. Maybe if they weren’t quite so tight, it wouldn’t have been so bad. I put on the low cut jeans that I had chosen. They showed off the V at the bottom of my abs just as I’d hoped they would. I usually wasn’t this vain, but it was for a good cause. I debated taking the shirt off entirely and remembered the t-shirt she wore the other day. Yes, ruthlessness was called for. The shirt definitely had to go.  
  
“I’m not sure what would go well with these yet,” I said lazily as I walked out and leaned against the door frame. She was thumbing through a magazine and looked up. Hey, eyes never got farther than my waist. I swear I heard her heart stop Alice’s breathing increased, and she squirmed ever so slightly.  
  
Fuck me boots, meet low rise jeans, I thought wryly to myself.  
  
Alice jumped up from the couch, quickly approaching the rack. “You’re going to wear this, and this,” she said as she plucked a pair of black pants that looked reasonably comfortable and a dark red button-up shirt. “You’ll wear it over a white tank with the arms rolled up and unbuttoned.”  
  
She sounded like a doctor using their clinical voice. She looked at me again, and I saw her eyes trail down my bare chest to the waist of the very low jeans. Her hand twitched toward me slightly before she whimpered and walked from the room very quickly.  
  
 _And the round goes to Jasper._

I cleaned up the clothes I had strewn about and made my way to rehearsal. After a full and productive day, I was finally back at the hotel and making plans for the evening. Edward saw me approaching the elevator and held the door. “How did the torture go?”  
  
“Extremely pleasant, thank you.” I chuckled, and the woman standing with us shot us a startled glance. We smiled back, politely. We were on our way back to Bella and Alice’s room. Edward was taking Bella out for dinner, I thought I might ask Alice to go to dinner with me.  
  
Bella opened the door moments after his knock. A brilliant smile lit up her face the second she saw him. She looked at me, then frowned.  
  
“You lied, sweats are not appropriate for a threesome,” she said with a perfectly straight face.  
  
I snorted, Edward looked stunned, and I gave him a moment to compose himself. “I’m here to see Alice, I thought she might like to go grab some dinner.”  
  
“I’m sure she would, but for some odd reason, she was all worked up when she got back this afternoon. She went down to the pool to cool off.” Bella scowled at me before breaking into a wide grin and winking. She closed the door behind her and walked with Edward as he led her toward the stairs.

I turned back toward the elevators and contemplated this development. Alice had obviously relayed what happened to Bella. So that meant that Alice wanted me to know that she had been ‘worked up’ and that she also wanted me to know that she was in the pool. If she didn’t, Bella wouldn’t have told them.  
  
 _Ding, ding, round three._ I grinned and stepped off the elevator.  
  
As I left the stairs for the gym, I spotted the wall of glass that looked over the Olympic sized pool and approached it. Alice was in a red one-piece suit. The suit itself was actually quite modest, but the intricate cutouts and lines clung to her in fascinating ways.

I was standing there trying to figure out my move for the next round of our little unspoken game when I realized that I didn’t want to play anymore. The flirtatious back and forth was a lot of fun, but suddenly I wanted something else entirely.   
  
I looked down at Alice again, she was absolutely stunning. I wanted her, but it wasn’t just about lust, and I wanted her to know that too. I turned from the glass and headed back my room lost in thought about what I should do to show her exactly what she was starting to mean to me.  
  
She had won the game, and she didn’t even know it.

\--==\\\//==--

_Bella POV_

I watched Edward strut off from the restaurant and looked down at the cup of hot water I was still stirring. Something was wrong with that, but my brain didn’t seem able to process it. Edward wanted to go on a real date. With me. Tonight.  
  
Ok, this was alright, this was good. I should go back to the room. I should speak to Alice, definitely. I ended up in the room without any clear recollection of how I got there.  
  
“Bella?” I heard the slight alarm in Alice’s voice and looked up at her. I was sure that I looked like a deer in the headlights. “What’s wrong?!”  
  
“Edward is taking me out on a date tonight.”  
  
She squealed, and I jumped about a foot off the ground. “Jesus Alice, calm down!” I panted while clutching at my heart.  
  
“Why do you look so stunned? Didn’t you tell me that you promised to go out with him if he was a good boy and went to bed the other night?”  
  
“Well, yeah but I thought he was drunk, I didn’t think he’d remember.”  
  
“Are you trying to tell me that you don’t want to go out with him? If that’s the case, you were probably giving him the wrong idea when you attacked him outside the bus the other day.”  
  
“Of course not, I mean of course I want to go out with him.”  
  
“Then what’s the problem?!”  
  
“I was…caught off guard?”  
  
“Bella, for a fairly insightful person, sometimes you can be so blind. Ok, I know you’re rusty on being adored by a guy so I won’t make fun. But, Bella, what did you think the next step would be?” She laughed and shook her head at my confused expression.  
  
“I don’t know, I didn’t think about it all that much apparently.”  
  
Alice sighed then pursed her lips in thought. “Listen, I’ve got to hop in the shower then head over to the venue. Jasper wants some opinions on the clothes the stylist brought. It shouldn’t take me too long, though, so grab your shower while I’m gone, and then we'll get you ready for your date when I get back.”  
  
“He said I can wear sweats!” I announced proudly.  
  
Alice paled. “What?! Where is he taking you? A monster truck rally?”  
  
“I have no idea. He said it was a surprise.”  
  
“I will not let you wear sweats. I don’t care what he said. You’ll go naked first.”  
  
“Fine, but casual, I am not getting dressed up.”  
  
Alice sighed and disappeared into the bathroom, complaining. “You never let me have any fun.”  
  
After Alice left, I got my shower and settled into my laptop for some work. Unfortunately, I spent most of my time either daydreaming about my date with Edward or trying to figure out where he was planning to take me. Of course, I was excited to be going out with him, but I also had no love for formal ‘dates.’ They were often too loud, which make talking impossible or too quiet and formal, which added pressure to the conversation, so it was never natural.  
  
Alice used to set me up on blind dates with friends of friends until I put my foot down. She was only trying to help, but it always felt forced. I was so stressed out leading up to a date that I decided it wasn’t worth it anymore. Considering the amount of time we had already spent with our lips locked together, this situation was obviously different, but I was still nervous.  
  
Sure we had already clicked on a physical and intellectual level. We had spent hours and hours just hanging out, so it was almost like we’d been on a bunch of unofficial dates already. But this seemed like a turning point, perhaps the moment our relationship became official. I came to the realization that I had been waiting for the other shoe all this time. I was expecting something, be it James, my ineptitude at relationships, or for him to finally realize that he way out of my league.   
  
No, I was not going to spend the day talking myself into a panic. I was not the most confident person, and self-esteem was not one of my strengths, but if tonight started with that sort of mindset, I was already doomed to failure. Rome was not built in a day, though, so instead of trying to reconcile that Edward was right about any of the wonderful things he said to me, I consciously tried no to fight the idea that this was something Edward wanted.  
  
With that in mind, I found myself wondering about how this evening would end. Instead of dreading an awkward goodnight kiss, I was excited and a little nervous at the possibilities.  
  
My musing was interrupted by Alice slamming the door, stomping across the room, and throwing herself face-down on the bed.  
  
“Clothes and Jasper alone in one room, what could have possibly gone wrong?” I said, completely baffled.  
  
She mumbled into the bed.  
  
“If you want me to take part in this conversation, you’re going to have to turn over. I can’t understand a word you’re saying.”  
  
“I said I almost jumped Jasper.”  
  
“Of course you did. Today is a day ending in ‘y’.”  
  
“No, I _really_ almost jumped Jasper. In the dressing room…on the floor.”  
  
“Oh, what did he do?”  
  
“He fought dirty!”  
  
She told me about Jasper’s fashion show, and by the end, I was laughing hysterically on the bed, and she was scowling at me.  
  
“He totally got revenge for the boots!” I sputtered between laughs.  
  
“Yes,” she pouted.  
  
“So, what’s your next move?”  
  
“I’m not sure. I’m going to think about it while I do your hair.”  
  
She rambled on about my hair and nails while I found myself preoccupied again. I remembered the times in the past that Edward and I had kissed, and I felt my body flame under his touch. If he did that again tonight, there was every possibility I wouldn’t stop him from taking it farther. “Alice…”  
  
“Oh, relax, Bella. I won’t go overboard.”  
  
“No, it’s not that, I uh…want to go shopping.”  
  
She froze and stared at me for a solid minute before she said anything. “Who are you, and what have you done with Bella?”  
  
“Har, Har. I want to go buy some lingerie. Nothing too fancy, but I didn’t bring anything nice with me. I think I could use the confidence boost tonight. Plus…” I trailed off, not really wanting to say that I was considering ending up in Edward’s room tonight.  
  
“That’s a great idea, Bella. I should have thought of it. I know just the place, come on.” She didn’t tease, harass, or interrogate me. She just understood what I needed. It was one of the reasons Alice was such a great friend.  
  
We were back in our room a couple of hours later, both of us very pleased with our purchases. Alice got to work on my hair. She decided that I needed to look natural much to my relief. By the time she was done, my hair was shining and full of large soft cascading curls.  
  
After much debate, we settled on my favorite tattered jeans with a particularly large hole on one of the thighs and a tight-fitting emerald green top. The top was comfortable, but sexy since it was lower cut. Alice insisted that I needed to show off my ‘assets’ as she put it.  
  
She completed the final touches with light makeup, and Alice pronounced that I was ready. I checked the clock, it was only 7, and I started to pace.  
  
“So I think I’ve decided what I’m going to do to Jasper,” she said proudly, holding up a swimsuit.

It was one of her favorites. And one that had got her a fair bit of attention in the past.  
  
“I have a feeling that Jasper will show up here tonight with Edward. You’re going to tell him that I was worked up when I got back and that I finally went down for a swim to cool off.”  
  
“Alice, what exactly are you trying to accomplish?” I asked perplexed.  
  
“I…I’m not sure exactly…forcing him into making a move?”  
  
“Have you two stopped moving yet? Ever considered just telling him how you feel?”  
  
“He knows how I feel, I don’t have to tell him. I just need to make him realize that he feels that same way. Besides, guys always like a chase, it’s a caveman thing. He likes it when I keep surprising him.”  
  
“Be careful what you wish for. Maybe one of these days, Jasper may surprise you. He already did once today.”  
  
She muttered something about fairness, grabbed her bag, and left the room.  
  
I continued trying to work and keep my eyes off the clock. There was a knock at the door promptly at eight. Edward was at the door with Jasper, just as Alice had predicted. I silently thanked Alice for this opportunity. I had prepared my line, and I never would have been able to pull it off without preparation.  
  
“You lied, sweats are not appropriate for a threesome,” I proudly managed to say with a straight face and no blush.  
  
Jasper snorted in amusement, and I turned to see a slightly shocked look on Edward’s face. Jasper seemed to realize Edward wasn’t going to explain his presence. “I’m here to see Alice, I thought she might like to go grab some dinner.”  
  
I chuckled to myself. “I’m sure she would have, but for some odd reason, she was all worked up when she got back this afternoon. She went down to the pool, she needed to cool off.” I managed a weak scowl for a long as I could, but eventually, a smile broke through, and I winked at him. He was a smart guy, I’m sure he had the game all figured out by now.  
  
Edward led me toward the stairs as Jasper said his goodbyes and returned to the elevator.  
  
“Where are the sweats?” he asked, seemingly surprised.  
  
“Oh, Alice put her foot down. She said it was this or naked.”  
  
“Tough choice,” he smiled.  
  
“Not as much as you might think. So do I get to know where we’re going yet?”  
  
“You’ll see.”  
  


\--==\\\//==--


	18. Rooftop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated! Thank you to those that have left a review, kudos, followed, or favorited!  
> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn’t borrow from her belongs to me.   
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net, and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Rooftop**

_Edward POV  
  
_ I led Bella into the stairwell and started walking up. She shot me yet another confused glance and followed.  
  
“What’s in the bag?”  
  
“Dinner,” I said simply, and she looked even more perplexed.  
  
We were on the top floor of the hotel, so we only had a short way to climb. I opened the door to the roof and held out my hand to motion her through.  
  
She gasped, and I was instantly rewarded for taking a chance on the setting for our date. I had tipped the maintenance guy to bring up a table and chairs for us, and Bella headed over to them while still admiring the view.  
  
The sun was just about to set, and it cast a beautiful golden glow over everything. This hotel was on one of the surrounding hills and looked down upon the city to provide a spectacular view. At night you could see the stars and the water. It was one of my favorite places to stay, and Esme always made sure to book us here when possible.  
  
It was warm, but the slight breeze made the temperature perfect. I looked over at Bella and watched as the wind played with the soft curls in her hair. Although I would have been pleased if she was comfortable enough to wear sweats, I certainly wasn’t complaining about the low cut top. The deep green was beautiful on her, and the jeans had rips and tears, giving teasing glances of her legs.  
  
We sat in silence for a while, admiring the view. As the sun set, she smiled over at me. “Hungry?” I asked, and I started unpacking the bag.  
  
“Thai?” she laughed.  
  
“Well, I told you I had to break into the eastern world of takeout now, didn’t I?” I said seriously as I handed her a fork and some Pad Thai. I took some Spicy Beef and sticky rice for myself.  
  
“It’s true you did mention that.” She hesitated for a moment and looked up at me. “This um… isn’t what I expected when you said that we were going out on a date.”  
  
“Honestly, Bella, I don’t like dates. They’re full of rules and expectations. I’d much rather just spend some time with someone and talk. You struck me as a like-minded person.”

“No, definitely! I mean, I love this. It’s so quiet. Most guys don’t seem to get that just because a restaurant is expensive. It doesn’t automatically mean it’s impressive. I’ve never seen a restaurant with a view like this, for example,” she said, gesturing to the cityscape.  
  
“Exactly, give me this over a stuffy restaurant any day.” I smiled and dug into my food.  
  
We ate and exchanged small talk. Finally, the topic turned to the day's events.

“Do you know what Jasper did to Alice today?” she asked, and I laughed.  
  
“Yeah, I knew what he had planned, but honestly, those boots? She kinda deserved it.”  
  
“Definitely. I think it’s great that she’s finally met her match. Usually, guys think Alice is some kind of breakable doll or fairy or some crap like that. When they find out she can hold her own and doesn’t need to be handled with kid gloves, it scares them off. Jasper seems different, I like it.”  
  
“Did she tell you about their sparring?” I laughed, remembering Jasper’s version of it.  
  
“Of course, we tell each other pretty much everything after all. She’ll get him back for that. I wouldn’t put it past her to get up to his level solely to kick his ass.” She laughed again, and I basked in the sound. I loved it when she lit up like that. It was like she didn’t have a care in the world. It didn’t happen nearly often enough, and I was going to change that if it killed me.  
  
“What’s she planning at the pool?”  
  
“You picked up on that, huh?” she shrugged. “I don’t think she’s planning anything. It’s more what she’s wearing. This is Alice, she can weaponize a swimsuit.”

“Jasper is going to lose his shit.” I laughed.  
  
“Nah, I bet that he does something that she doesn’t expect. I think he’s onto her and her little game,” she said wisely, and she was probably right. Bella was very insightful.  
  
We spent more time eating and reliving high points of the tour as well as the antics of the crew. “Would you like some more?” I asked, holding out some Jasmine Rice.  
  
“God no, I think if I ate another bite, I’d explode. I doubt the hotel would appreciate that.”  
  
“No, probably not. There’s a beautiful park across the street, would you like to go for a walk, burn a bit of it off?”  
  
“That sounds fantastic.”  
  
Bella helped me clear up the remains of our dinner, and we headed back down to the elevator, stopping to drop the bag off in my room. I grabbed a jacket in case the evening cooled down, and we were off to the park.  
  
I chose one of the longer paths that cut through the most scenic areas. We walked in silence for the most part, and I took her hand. Even with the progress, she’d made recently, I was hesitant about pushing her too far. At the same time, I was determined to let her know that nothing could diminish her in my eyes.  
  
“Bella, I hope you had a good evening, I don’t want to darken it at all, but I’d like to talk to you about something if it’s alright.” I was pretty sure she would know what I was referring to. Her hand tensed up, and I sighed.  
  
“I know you said that you’re putting James behind you, but I know you well enough to know that you’re still worried about what he said. It must be difficult, but I wish you wouldn’t be so concerned.”  
  
She was silent. I tried to wait for a response, but none was forthcoming.  
  
“Can we at least talk about it? I want to know what you’re thinking. I want to help if I can, Bella. Not all guys are like him, you know.”  
  
She looked up at me, horrified. “Edward, I never thought…you are absolutely nothing like him. You couldn’t be…I never thought that you were, not for a second.”  
  
“You’re so hesitant to talk to me. We laugh, and we joke around a lot, but whenever things get serious, you get so distant. I can’t honestly promise you that I’ll never hurt you. I’m only human, after all. But I can promise that I’d never hurt you intentionally and I’d never, never, do anything like he did to you. He wasn’t a husband, Bella. He was a jailor. He didn’t deserve you.” I hadn’t wanted to get this serious with her, but I couldn’t help it. I needed her to know how I felt.  
  
She looked down at her feet, and I fought not to pull her face up, to make her look at me, to banish this shame she seemed to have regarding him. Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore.  
  
“Look at me,” I said as I gently put a finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to meet mine. “Whatever you’re thinking, you can tell me. Let me in, Bella.”  
  
Tears were visible in her eyes, but she was obviously struggling to keep them from falling.   
  
“Edward, believe me, I spend a lot of time in my head, and you don’t want in.” She tried to sound humorous, laughing lightly, but the sound was hollow and sad.  
  
“You’re trying to shut me out, and it hurts. You haven’t been yourself for a while. I think we have something here, I like you—a lot. I want to help get rid of that sadness in your eyes. I have no doubt that what happened with James was more horrible than I understand. I’ve seen you with him, and that’s not who you are, that’s who he made you become to protect yourself.”  
  
“That’s where you’re wrong, Edward, this is me. The happy, easy-going Bella you got to know, she’s the fraud. I am dark and twisted and screwed up, and no man in his right mind would want anything to do with me.” Her words were coming faster now. It was like one of the many barriers that were always there was breaking. “I have issues. I don’t know anymore if those issues are what happened with James or the fact that I was stupid enough to let him do it.  
  
“Some people have baggage, Edward. I have a whole freaking designer luggage department. You deserve better than me, and I feel guilty for wanting you when I have no right to.” The tears that had been building up finally started to fall. She took her hand from mine and started pacing with her agitation.  
  
Once again, I felt a desire to hurt James for mistreating this kind, loving woman so much. I took a deep breath and calmed myself before catching her and pulling her to me to stop her pacing. I pressed her against my chest and rested my mouth very close to her ear. Barely above a whisper, I told her what I’d wanted to say for a long time now. Whether it scared her off or not, she needed to hear it.  
  
“Bella, you are an amazing person. I get up in the morning thinking about you, and you are the last thought I have before I close my eyes at night. _You are amazing_ , not only because of the things in your past but because they haven’t changed who you are. You went through all that crap with a selfish, soulless prick, and you were hurt. You may be gun shy, but you stand before me as selfless and caring as ever.”  
  
I felt her try to pull away, but it was a half-hearted attempt, so I held her tight and continued. “All the things you’ve been through, and you’re not worried about being hurt again. You’re not afraid that I’ll lock you away from the world and try to keep you all for myself. You’re worried that I can do better than you, that I’d be losing out on something for you! Don’t you see Bella? That’s one of the reasons why I know I could never find a more perfect person.  
  
Someday, I’ll convince you that you deserve to be happy and that you really are everything I keep saying, but for now, you just need to know that you are worth it, Bella. The person I got to know wasn’t a fraud, she’s a part of you as much as the dark parts that you hide. I want to know them both. I want to know all of you. I want to be with you. If you have to convince yourself that I’m not in my right mind for that to happen, then I’m okay with that. For now. What I have in my arms right now feels like heaven, and all the expensive Italian leather bags in the world couldn’t keep me from it.”  
  
I held her and let her cry silently into my chest. I stroked her hair and gave her time to absorb what I was saying. Eventually, I pulled her face up toward me and wiped away her tears. “Can you believe that?”  
  
“I can try,” she whispered.  
  
“Good, that’s a start.” She was shivering now, so I wrapped my jacket around her. The breeze twisted around us, blowing the strawberry scent of her hair to me. I watched as the wind pick up a strand and tossed it into her face. I pushed it behind her ear gently and ran my thumb lightly along her bottom lip.  
  
“Will you tell me what you’re thinking?” I asked softly.  
  
She chuckled, “well, I was thinking that I’m a lucky woman to have found a man like you.”  
  
“The feeling on that is mutual,” I said with a smile in my voice.  
  
“And I was thinking that I’m glad you brought a jacket.” She snuggled into it a little more. Then she stepped closer to me and put her arms around my waist.  
  
“Mostly, I was thinking how great it would be if you would kiss me.”  
  
“Strangely, I had that exact same thought,” I said with a wide smile. I lowered my lips to softly brush hers. There was no frenzied lust in this kiss, it was tender and honest. I kissed her softly, again and again, just enjoying the feel of her perfect lips against mine. I raised a hand to her cheek, needing to touch more of her. She brought her arms around my neck and brushed her tongue along my lip. I pulled at her lower lip in return, sucking on it gently before I met her tongue.  
  
My hand moved from her face to wind in her soft hair as our kiss deepened. I felt her body surrender to me a little more, and she pulled me closer. Our kiss became passionate, building an intensity that traveled throughout my body. I felt her moan softly into my mouth, and her hands lowered to my waist before snaking around to travel up my chest. I pulled back to allow her a breath, kissing a path to the hollow under her ear. When she moaned softly, I moved down her neck to her collarbone. She moved her hands and placed them firmly on my ass, pressing for more contact between us.  
  
I groaned and moved back to her mouth, kissing her roughly this time. She met my every move until we were kissing with abandon like we had in the hotel the night she was drunk. I felt her hands leave my ass and wander to my crotch, where she almost hesitantly ran a hand over the hard bulge straining against my pants.  
  
I pulled back and searched her face. She looked torn. Part of her was definitely as worked up as I was, but there was still part of her that was hesitant. I was greedy. When we finally slept together, I wanted it to be perfect, and I wanted all of her.  
  
“Not tonight,” I said as I kissed her softly on the lips.  
  
“But—”  
  
I cut her off. “No, Bella. Not because of him and not to spite him. When we do this, it’s going to be because every part of your mind and body can’t stand another second without my hands all over you. I will make love to you and make you feel amazing, but not until you’re completely ready. I don’t want to do this because you think you _should_ be ready, or it’s something that you _should_ be doing. Not until you’re ready,” I said with finality.  
  
She sighed and looked down. “Before you get any twisted ideas, love, this is not because I don’t want you. You know how much I do,” I kissed her again and pressed the insistent reminder of my desire into her a little more firmly.  
  
Once we finished our kiss, she nodded, and we turned to head back to the hotel.  
  
“You’re right,” she said as she ducked under my arm. “But I want one heck of a goodnight kiss on my doorstep, mister.”  
  
I laughed loudly. “I think I can provide that.”  
  


\--==\\\//==--


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated! Once again, thank you to those that have left a review, followed, or favorited!
> 
> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn’t borrow from her belongs to me. 
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net, and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.

**Chapter Nineteen**   
**Confessions**

_Bella POV  
  
_ It had been almost a week since I last saw James. While I still spent more time than I liked tense and waiting for him to appear with a plan to make my life miserable, as the days went by, I couldn’t help hoping that maybe he’d got the hint when Jasper shut him out.  
  
When I was honest with myself, I knew it wasn’t likely, but it was still pleasant to think about. And Edward…a flutter of excitement raced through my body at the thought of him. He had been like a breath of fresh air when my past had been threatening to suffocate me again. Every day, my resolve to live my life as though James didn’t exist became a little stronger. I smiled and giggled to myself.  
  
“Bella, wait,” a voice came up behind me, snapping me out of my reverie. Turning around, I saw Jasper jogging up to me, looking oddly tense.  
  
“Jasper, hey. Aren’t you guys going on in like… ten minutes?” I said as I checked my watch.  
  
“Yeah, we are I just wanted to check something with you before I get ready. Where’s Alice?”  
  
“She already at the soundboard, she’s doing video tonight. I’m doing photos from the stage.”  
  
“Ah, okay. Um, Bella…” He still looked nervous, almost sheepish. I was starting to wonder if there was bad news coming or something.  
  
“What’s wrong Jasper? It’s okay. Just spit it out.”  
  
“No, nothing’s wrong, I just…do you think you can switch with Alice tonight? Have her do the photos at the stage?”  
  
I furrowed my brow at that. The band never got involved in the minutia of our routine. No one had ever explicitly asked for one of us to do a particular job.  
  
“It’s nothing to worry about, Bella. I just, well, I want to do something, and I’d like to see her reaction.”  
  
I raised an eyebrow at him now. “Oh, really? Well, I can make that happen. Should she know that this is a request from you?”  
  
“I suppose it doesn’t really matter, but if you can get her up there without telling her, it would be appreciated.”  
  
“Alright, let me work my magic then. She’ll be there.”  
  
“Thanks, Bella. Really.”   
  
I watched him stride away quickly and wondered what he could possibly be up to.  
  
I threaded my way through the packed crowd quickly, knowing Alice would need a few minutes to get into place, and the show was starting soon. I saw Alice looking perplexed at her phone as I came up beside her. “You look like you’re trying to solve the perpetual motion problem, what’s up?”  
  
“Nothing. I just got an odd text from Jasper. Maybe he was putting a lyric down or something and sent it to me by accident.”  
  
“Can I see?”  
  
She shrugged and tossed me the phone. A few lines of text were lit up on her screen. I was starting to get a suspicion as to what Jasper was planning.  
  
“That is odd. Anyway, I know this is really last minute, and I’m sorry, but can I switch with you tonight? I think I have a headache coming on. I really don’t think being that close to the amps, the speakers, and the drums will help.”  
  
“Sure, you know how much I love any chance I get to ogle Jasper up close!”  
  
I laughed and thanked her as she bounced off to the stage. I leaned back and wondered if Alice was ready for Jasper to call her bluff.

\--==\\\//==--

_Alice POV  
  
_ I parked myself in the pit and said hello to the security people that were preparing to fend off the surfers. I judged the setup and height of the stage to figure out exactly what my best angles were going to be for each member of the band.  
  
The show progressed, as usual, the crowd was into it, and as was the norm, I found myself ducking surfers as they came flying forward. I got some really great shots of Edward and even some good ones of Emmett. Drummers were always the hardest to photograph hidden behind a kit at the back of the stage.  
  
Even after all the shows we’d been to, I still loved to hear the music live. I felt the excitement in the pit of my stomach as the band walked on stage and played their first notes. I joined in on the cheers and smiles as they played something that was particularly popular. Jasper was acting off, though, and I had almost no eye contact with him. He was playing with the crowd in his usual way, but he wasn’t as relaxed as he usually was when an audience was this tuned in.  
  
They were winding down now with only a song or two to go in the encore. “This is a new song. It’s dedicated to anyone out there that’s had someone special wander into their life,” Jasper said simply as the lights dropped, and Edward started with a thin guitar line. A few beats later, Jasper joined in with his vocals.

I looked up and caught Jasper’s eye as he sang directly to me. I froze in place and watched Jasper with rapt attention for the length of the song. If he wasn’t watching me intently, he had his eyes closed, and the emotion washed over his face.  
  
He’d written me a song, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard. For those few minutes, there wasn’t another person in the room. He was singing directly to and only for me. Finally, the music drew to a close, and the world returned. The band waved at the audience as they exited the stage. Usually, we mulled around for fifteen or twenty minutes to give the guys a breather after the show then headed back to the dressing room. Tonight was not going to go like that. I needed to see Jasper, and I didn’t want an audience.  
  
I walked around the venue, looking for Bella, taking the time to work out the night in my head, and what I wanted to happen next. I found her in production, downloading some of the wide shots she’d taken from the soundboard. She turned and eyed me warily.  
  
“Alice, are you okay?”  
  
“Oh… yeah…. I uh think I’m okay… just a little bit surprised. Did you know?”  
  
“Not exactly, I knew he was up so something. He asked me to switch with you before the show, and then there was the text. I did tell you to be careful with your game, and that he would surprise you again.” She paused and waited for my reply. When all she got was stunned silence, she urged me on. “So, what now?”  
  
“Yeah, that’s what I was just thinking…”  
  
“Alice, really? You even have to think about this? I know this is what you want, and well, I’m not you,” she laughed. “You’ve admitted to me that you’ve fallen for him. And that was… well, that was pretty amazing even from where I was, I could see what he put into that song for you.”  
  
“Yeah, I know, I just… I don’t know! This is really… it could get complicated.”  
  
“Alice,” she groaned. “You aren’t seriously telling me that you’re worried about your job? After all the ass-kickings you handed me about Edward? You and I both know that this is way more important than any job, no matter how fantastic it is. This could be everything for you. Don’t start worrying about stupid things getting in the way. Overthinking is my bit, remember? If this is what you want, go for it. If there’s any fallout, we’ll deal with it. That’s what we do.”  
  
I nodded and smiled calmly. “You’re right. The shock was a bit much for a minute there, but yeah, I’m stupid, of course.”

“Don’t get mad, ok?”

“What did you do. Bella?”

“Nothing bad! I just may have cornered Edward as he came off stage and asked him to get me Jasper’s room key.” She held it out sheepishly. “I thought you might want it.”

“Bella, that’s perfect! Have I told you how much I love you lately? Can you do one more thing for me?”  
  
“Of course, Alice, anything.”  
  
I told her what I needed, and after a big hug and wishes of good luck, I was on my way back to the hotel.

\--==\\\//==--

_Jasper POV  
  
_ I was pacing. I tried not to, but I couldn’t help it. I knew what I wanted, I wanted Alice. The song had almost written itself, and I thought it was perfect for her. I wasn’t nervous because I regretted what I’d done, It was honest, and I’ve never found honest to be wrong. I was worried because I didn’t know how Alice would react. She was my wild card, it was one of the things that attracted me to her. Alice kept me guessing. Just when I thought I could predict what she’d do, she went in the opposite direction.  
  
Thirty minutes. It had been thirty minutes since the show, and they weren’t here yet.  
  
“Jasper man, you need to calm down, you look like a caged tiger.” Edward came over to me, willing me to calm down. If only he could affect my mood like that. I glared back at him.  
  
“Give her some time she probably went to see Bella and talk first, I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”  
  
At that moment, I heard a quiet knock on the door even though it was propped open. _Bella,_ I thought with an exhale of relief. She stepped in and looked around. Finding me, she motioned for me to follow her and stepped back outside.  
  
“Good luck, man,” Edward said with a pat on my shoulder. I took a deep breath and tried not to notice that Emmett and Carlisle’s faces showed a mixture of humor and nerves for me.  
  
“Hey, Bella. Where is she?”  
  
“She’s waiting for you at the hotel, she wanted to see you, but she wanted some privacy.”  
  
I nodded and swallowed. I suddenly felt like a lanky teenager again. My mouth was dry and may as well have been full of cotton. I opened my mouth to thank her but suddenly couldn’t find my voice.  
  
“There’s a cab out back. She’s in your room.” She smiled softly and took pity on me. “Jasper, it’s going to be just fine, trust me. Here, take this.” She handed me a bottle of water and excused herself into the dressing room.  
  
I stood outside the door for a moment to hear Bella tell everyone that Alice wanted to talk to me. I also heard Emmett snort. I may have to put baby powder on his drum heads for the next show. I filed that away and walked to the back exit, there were more important things to deal with right now.

I jumped in the cab and gave the hotel name to the driver, thankful for the fencing that kept the bus area private from the fans tonight. I ran a hand through my hair and downed the water Bella had given me wishing it was something a little more substantial that could calm my nerves.  
  
An eternity later, I arrived at the hotel. I knocked on my door and vaguely wondered how she got my keycard as I fidgeted. My fantasies had not prepared me for Alice when she finally opened the door. She stood like a vision before me with dark pink heels on her feet and a perfectly matched baby doll nightie that was part lace and part light sheer material. It stopped right at the top of her thighs. I felt a growl of desire leave my throat.

“Alice, you look…” I faded as she stood up very slowly and walked over to me. Her eyes were filled with a fire I’d never seen from her before. She put her index finger to my mouth.

“Shh… We’ll talk later.”  
  
She closed the door and pressed into the wall as she ran both her hands up my chest, leaving goosebumps wherever her fingers trailed. Her arms snaked around my neck and pulled my head down to hers. She kissed me roughly, nibbling my bottom lip and scraping her teeth lightly against the stubble right below it. Her lips and teeth were driving me insane, and I felt myself harden with every one of her movements.  
  
Her desire was infectious. I couldn’t stop myself as I took control of the kiss, opening her mouth and diving in so I could taste her. We continued exploring each other as she turned me around and backed me to the bed.

It took a long time for us to exhaust ourselves, but we eventually managed it. Alice snuggled into my side as we lay on the bed and waited for our energy to return. Every muscle in my body was content as she ran her fingers up and down my chest. I kissed the top of her head. I had never felt this whole before, the feeling of her beside me was utter perfection.  
  
“Are you going to thank me like that every time I sing a song for you?” I said.  
  
“Maybe,” she smiled devilishly up at me.

\--==\\\//==--


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day! I figured you deserved it since the last two were a bit on the short side. I’m not entirely comfortable with these, but the whole point of this exercise is just to do it and get it out there regardless of how uncertain I am. The best way to do this is to stop stalling and publish!
> 
> As always, feedback, follows, reviews and favorites are always appreciated! Thank you to any of you that have done so.
> 
> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn’t borrow from her belongs to me.
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net, and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.

Chapter Twenty  
Getaway

Bella POV  
  
 _You know you want to.  
  
_ I bit my lip and continued to stare at the gloriously tempting scene as it played out before me.  
  
From the dark corner, I watched as Edward fine-tuned his rig. ‘His rig’ referred to the myriad of knobs, buttons, peddles, and electronics that were stacked into a black case on wheels. I didn’t know much about this complicated setup, but I knew that the collection of equipment was responsible for all the effects he produced with his guitars.  
  
In itself, watching him work was interesting, but the fact that he kept bending over and leaning down to tweak the knobs and peddles made it sinful. Add the tight black jeans, and it was delicious.  
  
 _Look at him. I bet he knows you’re here. He’s a tease. Call him on it!  
  
_ The devil on my shoulder had been begging me to molest him for the past five minutes. The other shoulder was conspicuously empty.  
  
“That is an ass that is just begging to be groped.”  
  
I turned to see Alice sizing Edward up like a cut of prime meat.  
  
“Shame, really.”  
  
“What is?”  
  
“That an ass that looks that fine is going to go to waste.” She sighed dramatically.  
  
My self-control finally cracked, and I marched toward the stage. My target put his guitar on a stand and turned toward the pile of gear behind him. I think I may have actually licked my lips as he bent over into a large case.  
  
With grace and silence that I had never before been capable of, I climbed the steps and snuck up behind Edward, who still had his fantastic ass in the air as he dug around the bottom of the case. Feeling gloriously evil, I placed myself perfectly behind him and gave him one hard smack on the ass.  
  
He stood up quickly, still holding the guitar strap that must have been the target of his search. The look of absolute shock on his face was priceless.  
  
“What the hell was that for?”  
  
I shrugged. “We took a vote and decided that your ass needed attention.”  
  
“Who’s we?”  
  
“The committee. I’ll be going now.” I crossed the stage in front of him. He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him.  
  
“You know what this means, right?” he growled softly into my ear.  
  
I shivered shook my head.  
  
“Your gorgeous ass is fair game now. Just remember, you started it.” He let me go, but not before giving me a goodbye pat on the rear.  
  
Alice covered for my stunned silence by relaying the message she had come to deliver. “Hey Edward, Carlisle sent me to look for you, something about a call on the bus?”  
  
“Oh shit, is it that late already?”  
  
Alice looked very pleased with herself as he disappeared through the stage door.  
  
“You’re coming along nicely, Bella. I’ll have you out of your shell completely soon.”  
  
I sighed and shook my head before getting back to the work that had been disrupted by the appearance of Edward’s ass. We’d been on the road for a while now, and I was feeling the need for a real break. If that didn’t happen soon, Alice’s prediction of corrupting me wouldn’t take long at all.  
  
Perhaps that’s why Alice and I found ourselves being thrown around uncomfortably in the back of a 4x4 just under a week later. I shook my head at my tiny friend who was hanging on for dear life while Edward and Jasper had the time of their lives in the front.  
  
I caught my breath as we pulled up to a large home on a South Carolina beach. It was a stunning and peaceful building surrounded by sand, water, and not much else. It was so remote that the only way to and from the house was an off-road vehicle.  
  
Edward’s phone conference the week before had confirmed that a good portion of the south-eastern leg of the tour was rained out. There was significant flooding in almost all of the towns they were scheduled to play. Resources were being put into getting essential services up and running again, concerts were obviously not safe or a priority at the moment.  
  
Instead of taking time off, Carlisle called in a favor from a friend and landed us a week-long stay at his vacation home/studio. The place was perfect for artists who were looking to get away from the day to day distractions and put in some serious time writing and recording. The band members had been enjoying a burst of creative energy in their recent practice session and felt that spending some time getting the ideas down would be worth it. Once the week was done, everyone would head down to Florida for the next show.  
  
It all came together very quickly. It wasn’t more than two hours after the cancellation had been finalized that new plans were in place. We were disappointed to lose the time with the band, but still looking forward to some time at home when Carlisle asked if we’d agree to go along to document the studio time.  
  
Rose would be flying in to spend some quality time with her guy, and even Esme said she might be visitng. The air hummed with excitement and possibility. As Jasper helped unload our bags, the sound of another jeep grew louder in the distance.

“This place is huge!” Alice said as she jumped out of the truck. “Gimme my bag, I’m heading right for the pool!”  
  
“Make yourself at home, Alice,” I muttered. She shot me one of her exasperated looks before grabbing her bag from Jasper and disappearing into the house. I filled up with a load of luggage and followed my hyper sister.  
  
Inside was just as impressive as the exterior. It was decorated in tans and whites, with high ceilings and windows everywhere. The feeling when you walked in the door was light and airy but still grounded somehow. Warm woods and natural stone gave the modern architecture a homey feel. The décor was a perfect balance of classic and contemporary. Splashes of color from a pillow or a piece of art were used strategically to draw the eye to different areas of the open layout.  
  
There was a lounge area by the fireplace with overstuffed couches that were just begging for someone to curl up in them with a good book. The kitchen was huge, with stainless steel appliances and an island with stools lining one side. Even if you were stuck in the kitchen, you still got to be a part of everything happening around you. Chairs surrounded the large table placed in front of oversize doors that opened to the patio with the pool. Off to one side of the room on a raised platform was a beautiful glossy grand piano. My mind was going nowhere good with the thought of Edward and that piano together. Or perhaps the problem was that it was going to all the best places.  
  
I dropped the bags at the bottom of the stairs and wandered back outside to see the second jeep careening toward the house before coming to a less than graceful stop. I fought a grin as a white-knuckled Carlisle pulled himself out of the vehicle. “You are never driving again, Emmett. Or rather, I am never going to sit in another vehicle while you’re driving. How is it possible that you’ve gotten _worse_ since the last time I drove with you?”  
  
“Practice,” Emmett said with the kind of pride a child might show when bringing home a report card with straight A’s.  
  
I joined in with Edward and Jasper’s laughter as Carlisle shot us all a dirty look before going around to the back of the vehicle to start unpacking the gear. I started loading up with more bags, but Jasper stopped me.  
  
“Go ahead and look around, Bella. We’ll unpack, we know where everything goes anyway. We perfected everything last time we were here.”  
  
Alice appeared from behind a random door on my first foray upstairs. I’m not sure how she managed it, but in the five minutes or so head start she had already got the layout of the house down and proceeded to give me a full tour. Four bedrooms, each with a king-size bed and their own private bath, a library, two offices that could comfortably accommodate a couple of people each, and scattered everywhere were intimate little nooks with comfortable chairs or a couch.  
  
Then she led me downstairs, where all the toys were. Here we found the entertainment room with a TV that was probably bigger than my car, every game console you could think of, bean bag chairs, and all of it done up in a way that would put even the best of man caves to shame. There was a games room complete with pinball, foosball, air hockey, and other arcade favorites, a sauna, and of course, the recording studio.  
  
Even without everything that surrounded it, the studio would have been impressive. It wasn’t overly large as it was only meant for a few people to use, but even to laymen like us, it was clear that everything was state of the art, and no expense had been spared.  
  
We wandered upstairs to join the guys who had just finished unpacking and were enjoying a well-earned beer. The awe must still have been fresh on our faces because they took one look at us and laughed.  
  
“I take it you approve,” said Edward.  
  
“You really know how to vacation, don’t you?” I said while still feeling a little like a deer caught in headlights.  
  
“Vacation?!” laughed Jasper as he came over to Alice and kissed the top of her head. “We’re working this week, you should see our vacations. Last time it involved passports, six elephants, three cases of Jello, and a clown.” He winked and pulled Alice to the patio to check out the pool. I just shook my head.  
  
The first day we all took it easy and blew off some steam. We swam and drank for most of the afternoon, Carlisle fired up the barbecue which took care of dinner, and before we knew it, it was dark and getting late. Carlisle was the one who had to remind us that we weren’t just here to sunbathe for a week.  
  
“Alright, I don’t care if you all go to bed now or not, but I _am_ waking you up at nine tomorrow. If I have to wake you twice, I’m coming back with a bucket of water.” He gestured to a pile of buckets stacked neatly by the shed. With a wistful smile, he waved and left us to our own devices.  
  
“He means it, and he uses cold water.” Emmett shuddered with an obviously vivid memory. “I’m going to bed. All this sun and fresh air today just killed me.”  
  
I extricated myself Edward’s arm and yawned. “Yeah me too, I think Carlisle knows us too well now to hope that Alice and I are exempt from his wake up call.”  
  
The day was definitely catching up with me, and I found myself dragging my feet to the room that Alice and I would be sharing. Alice wandered in as I was brushing my teeth. “I’ll be finished in a sec, then it’s all yours,” I called to her. I walked out of the bathroom to a very guilty looking Alice.  
  
“What did you do?” It was an excellent place to start. It put her off balance.  
  
“What do you mean, ‘what did you do’? I didn’t do anything!”  
  
“Alice, I haven’t seen you look this guilty since you made Mark Fenton’s locker explode in ninth grade.”  
  
“Well, l I didn’t do anything, I just feel bad.”   
  
The look on her face was heartbreaking. Suddenly it hit me. “You want to go stay in Jasper’s room.”  
  
“Yes, but only if you don’t mind. I don’t mind staying here at all if you want me to, I promise. I mean, I was planning to, but Jasper just asked and…”  
  
“Alice!” I cut her off. “Of course you can stay with him, I don’t mind at all. You don’t even need to ask me, we’re adults here, after all. I’m not going to throw a hissy fit or anything.”  
  
Her reaction was immediate and explosive. “Thank you, Bella. I didn’t think you’d mind, I just wasn’t sure. I mean, we’ve spent so much time together on the tour that I thought you might like some time to yourself, but I didn’t want to assume because you know it’s always bad when you assume. I just really wanted to stay with him, but I mean you’re my sister I’m not going to just abandon you! Ok thanks again Bells, I’ll see you in the morning.”  
  
She said all this without taking a breath as she flew around the room and collected various things. My sleep-deprived brain could barely decipher what she was saying, and before it had caught up, she was gone, leaving my one question unanswered.  
  
Carlisle had one room, Emmett, the other. Rose should be here in a few days, and she would be staying with Emmett. Jasper and Edward were supposed to be sharing the last room, so where was Edward sleeping?  
  
The day had been quite warm, but a chill had settled in as soon as the sun set. I dug a robe out of my bag to cover my thin pajamas and padded silently downstairs.  
  
He stood with his back to me, silhouetted by the dim light from the fireplace. He was making up the couch with extra sheets. I shook my head and sat down on the sofa across from his.  
  
“Have you been displaced by Jalice?”  
  
He flashed that panty-dropping smile of his as he saw me. “I offered. Jasper has been getting more wound up by the day, at least this way he’ll be relaxed for our session tomorrow.”  
  
I laughed at his martyred expression. “All for the low, low price of a sore back and cricked neck?”  
  
“Nah, it’s not so bad. This couch is actually pretty comfortable. In case you haven’t noticed, this place is kinda high end.”  
  
“Well, that’s just silly, there’s a huge bed in my room, and I’m certainly not going to use it all. You need your rest, too.”  
  
“I wouldn’t want to impose Bella. The couch is ok, really.”  
  
“Don’t be stupid, we’ve slept together plenty of times.” It fell out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying. His eyebrows hitched up as a crooked grin crept across his face.  
  
“That not…no, I meant…we’ve slept in the same room together. On the bus when you traveled with us and stuff…” I ended lamely and willed the blood to drain from my cheeks. “This isn’t fair, I’m way too tired! Look, all I’m saying is that I’m happy to share if you want. I mean, if you don’t _want_ to, that’s fine too.”  
  
He shook his head and placed a finger over my lips as I stammered. “Are you sure you won’t be uncomfortable? I promise no funny stuff.”  
  
Somewhere deep in my gut, a war was raging. On one side was my realization that he knew I wasn’t ready yet and how understanding he’d been, on the opposing side were my more base desires. Specifically, the ones that wanted to drag him upstairs and more or less devour every inch of him. I watched the fight with interest.  
  
“Bella?”  
  
“Yeah, sorry. Did I mention that I was tired? Of course, I won’t be uncomfortable. I’m always comfortable around you.”  
  
“Ok, but I need one thing from you first.” I gave him a quizzical look. “I need you to say: Edward, I want you in my bed now.”  
  
I smacked him and went back upstairs. He followed as soon as he finished laughing.  
  
The days quickly took on a routine. The house started to wake up around eight in the morning. Carlisle would start cooking enough food to feed a small army. The guys would wander down and eat most of it, and everyone would end up in the studio by ten or eleven.  
  
Watching them craft music fascinated me. It was amazing how an idea would take shape and build until it didn’t even resemble what it started out as. One of the guys would start playing something simple. An idea he had on his own, then the others would join in building on and changing it. There was a lot of joking and laughing, the whole process was very easygoing. Everything was recorded and would be sifted through for gems and ideas that would go through the process again. It reminded me a lot of panning for gold. Edward told me that things weren’t always this peaceful as they got closer to finishing pieces, and passions ran a little hotter.  
  
Once everyone was warmed up and jammed out, the actual recording of songs in the works began. Again I was fascinated, but this time because of the change in the atmosphere. Serious discussion and critiquing were involved in every step of finalizing a song. Precision and perfection were demanded and delivered in all aspects.  
  
By seven or eight in the evening, everyone was starving and ready to break for the day. On our fourth day, Rosalie and Esme arrived, rounding out the group and bringing a much-needed infusion of groceries. Emmett hadn’t been able to take his hands off Rose for more than 30 seconds, and Carlisle officially called a day off to let everyone catch up and settle in.  
  
“God Esme, did you buy an entire cow?” I asked as I packed the various steaks and burgers she brought into the fridge.  
  
“You’ve only been here for a few days and you’re already out of red meat. You have noticed how much these boys eat, right?”  
  
“You have a point.”  
  
Edward, who was helping me unpack the groceries, laughed and placed a kiss on my cheek. “Stakes keep our inner cavemen happy, Bella.”  
  
I didn’t fail to see Esme’s look of surprise even though she covered it quickly. Edward had been making these calculated demonstrations of affection ever since our first night here. True to his word, he didn’t try to pressure me into anything. We talked for hours some nights, and some nights involved heavy making out. I was starting to wonder if spontaneous combustion was imminent.  
  
He was incredibly patient and clear that he had no problems moving at my pace. That pace was also becoming increasingly frustrating every time he set my skin on fire with his touch only to pull away.

That night it was decided that the group wanted to head into town. The closest town catered to the tourists that the beach attracts and housed more than a few renowned clubs and bars. I started picking at the label on my bottle. Loud, crowded clubs were never going to be my thing, and I was beginning to accept this fact.  
  
“You don’t have to go, you know. It’s a social outing, not a prison sentence. I actually wouldn’t mind a quiet night myself, if you want to stay here, I’ll keep you company…unless you want to be alone.”  
  
Alice’s exuberant voice rose up in triumph as they discussed their plans. “We can grab a room in the hotel, so no one has to drive back. Everything on the strip is so close, we’ll just leave the cars there and barhop all night.”  
  
I grabbed the opportunity while it was there. “You might get away with one vehicle if you don’t mind being squished. Edward and I are gonna stay here and chill.”  
  
There were knowing grins sent my way. I just did my best to not blush or choke on my beer as I ignored them all and watched the pool. I shook my head and muttered under my breath, “busybodies.”   
  
Edward let out a loud, boisterous laugh and threw his arm around me. I couldn’t help the smile that planted itself on my face.  
  
Between Rose, Esme, and Alice preening for their night on the town, the day passed quickly. They decided that even if I wasn’t going out, I should still be pampered with the works, including a manicure, pedicure, and facial.  
  
Were it not for the fact that I had a reputation for being difficult to maintain, I might even have told them how much fun I had. Rose and Esme were privy to all of the best gossip, and they were keen to share since they trusted that it would go no farther. It had been a long time since I had been part of a group of friends like this. Even though we hadn’t really known Rose very long, it was as if she had always been a part of the group.  
  
When everyone was ready to go, Edward and I helped pack up the vehicles and watched them disappear into the distance. The moment we were alone, I felt something settle over us. Not awkwardness precisely, more like tension and maybe a crackle of possibility.  
  
Edward cleared his throat. “Well, now that they’re gone, we can enjoy the peace and quiet. I’m going for a swim, care to join me?” He stripped his shirt off as he asked, and my eyes roamed over his well-defined chest. Of course, it wasn’t the first time I’d seen it, but the sight never failed to affect me.  
  
I swallowed and mentally shook myself. “No, I’m going to start dinner. I’m making Mushroom ravioli. What do you think?” His face had that damn crooked smile on it. He knew exactly what he was doing.  
  
“Sounds great. I’m going to do some laps, then I’ll come in and help.”  
  
  


\--==\\\//==--

Edward POV  
  
I ate the last of the ravioli and sighed in contentment. “That was great, Bella. Thank you.” Clearing the dishes, I got started on the cleanup. “Anything particular you’d like to do tonight? Don’t say work.”  
  
“No, not work. I was going to catch up on some reading, believe it or not.” She brought more dishes to the sink. “Wash or dry?”  
  
“Wash. What are you reading?”  
  
“Nothing heavy, I’m on a biography kick lately.”

We talked about books as we finished cleaning up the kitchen. She went to get her book from the bedroom while I collapsed on the couch in the lounge. She wandered back into the room and started toward the other end of the sofa.  
  
I made a disgusted noise and patted the seat beside me. There was no hesitation as she sat down next to me. I had been working very hard to get her comfortable with these moments of cuddling and closeness. There was no question that she enjoyed them, but she never initiated them. It was like I always needed to reinforce to her that I wanted her closed to me.   
  


I played with her hair and peppered her neck and shoulder with kisses. I wasn’t trying to distract her, I just couldn’t keep my hands to myself.  
  
Finally, she closed her book and turned to me. “Can I make a confession?”  
  
“Is it a deep dark secret? I’m particularly fond of those.”  
  
“Not really…” she hesitated.  
  
“What? It can’t be that bad. Short of there being a dead body involved, I can handle it. Hell, even if there is a body involved, I’d handle it.”  
  
“If I have to spend another night in the same bed with you without touching you, I think I’m going to lose my mind.”  
  
Well, that was progress. “Hmmm..that is serious,” I said as I leaned down and placed another trail of kisses down her neck. “We should definitely do something about that.”  
  
I took her hand and pulled her up from the couch. Before the bedroom door was closed, my lips were back on hers. My hands explored greedily and found their way under her shirt, caressing the smooth skin of her back. Working at the buttons on her shirt, I returned to her lips kissing her feverishly, but the was an unwelcome change, she wasn’t responding anymore. I may as well have been kissing the wall behind her.  
  
“Bella? Bella, come back to me.” I said with a soft touch to her cheek.  
  
She shook her head slightly. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking ashamed. “I… I haven’t done this in a while, and I’m not very good at it. I’m a little nervous. “  
  
I smiled and buried the anger I was feeling, positive that she would misread it. This was another insecurity James had created, I would put money on it. I was going to have a hard time not killing him outright the next time I saw him.  
  
“You don’t need to be nervous tonight, love. And you don’t need to worry about being ‘good’ at this. You have no idea how many times you’ve turned me on and driven me wild just by turning to look at me across a room. There is no way you could possibly not be good at this for me. Just you being here and being you is all I need. You’re incredibly sexy and beautiful, Bella.” I made sure she was still with me, “we don’t have to do this now. Remember, only when you’re ready.”  
  
She smiled shyly and kissed me with passion. Her hands found the bottom of my shirt and started to work it up my chest. I pulled away from her lips to allow her to finish the task and directed her towards the bed.  
  
I’d been distracted when her shirt came off, and so I’d failed to notice the beauty of her breasts filling a midnight blue satin bra. “That bra is fantastic, and I really do love it, but it has to go,” I said, managing to sound regretful as I reached around for the clasp.  
  
She chuckled as she attacked the button on my jeans. “Only if your pants go too.”  
  
“That sounds like an extremely fair trade to me.” I removed her bra, and she pulled at my pants and underwear until they rested at my ankles. I smiled crookedly and pushed her down onto the bed. She moved to the middle and lay down on her back as I removed the remnants of my clothing.  
  
I moved across the bed to her holding her eyes with mine playfully. “I don’t believe my underwear was a part of our deal.”  
  
She shrugged as she kissed me. “Sorry, I felt the need for you to be naked.”  
  
“Bella, you never, ever, have to apologize for needing me to be naked,” I said with a wicked grin as I started pressing lines of kisses across her skin. It was going to be a long night, and we were both going to enjoy every second of it.

The heat of Bella’s passion took me off guard. When she finally relaxed and let herself go, she was a temptress, and there was no way that I could keep myself from worshipping her. Knowing all I did about her past, her trust was a gift, and I was a lucky man.

I was listening to our breathing even out and slow as she distractedly ran her fingers through my hair. I would have been happy to never move again.  
  
Before too much time had passed, I realized that Bella was crying softly. She wasn’t sobbing, there were just silent tears falling. I looked up at her and took in the faraway look in her eyes. I sat up quickly and wrapped my arms around her tightly, pulling her head toward my chest.  
  
“Bella honey, what’s wrong?” I asked, trying to keep my voice soft so she wouldn’t hear my alarm.  
  
“Oh, Edward I…” she started sobbing and buried her head fully in my chest now. I stroked her hair and waited for her to sort through her emotions. I heard the sobs slow as she calmed. I pulled her chin up to look into her face.  
  
“Are you okay?” I asked as I wiped away her tears.  
  
“I feel ridiculous. It’s just silly,” she chuckled half-heartedly. I looked at her and couldn’t help but frown a little.  
  
“You always say things like that when it’s the exact opposite. Did I do something to upset you?”  
  
“Of course not!” she said, seemingly shocked that I would take her tears so personally.  
  
“It’s just that, well. James was the first man I’d slept with and then not till after we were married. He wasn’t a very, um, compassionate lover. He was never gentle, and usually, he hurt me. I guess you could say that he used me just as much in that way as he did every other. I’m not completely naive; I knew sex wasn’t always like that, I just… I don’t think I was ready for how wonderful and cherished you just made me feel. I wasn’t ready for how perfect that was.”  
  
She blushed again, and I smiled. Words weren’t enough, so I kissed her forehead lightly, followed by each eyelid and her cheeks settling on her mouth last. Her tongue met with mine and danced as our kiss quickly became intense. I kissed her with every bit of passion and desire I felt for her but made sure that she felt my tenderness and reverence at the same time.  
  
“You are definitely something to be cherished, Bella. I’m sorry for all the horrible things he did to you, and I wish I could take them all away. I’ll have to settle for trying to show you how much more you deserve,” I told her.  
  
I stretched back out on the bed, and she curled up beside me. Within minutes we were both sound asleep.

When I awoke the next morning, Bella was already awake and watching me peacefully.  
  
“Good morning, enjoying the show?”  
  
“You’re beautiful when you sleep.” She smiled.  
  
“As opposed to when I’m awake, then I’m the elephant man.”  
  
She stuck her tongue out at me. “You know what I mean.”  
  
“I do, thank you.” I laughed and kissed her on the nose before stretching.  
  
“Last night was… beyond words, thank you.”  
  
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I said smugly.

“Come on, let’s go make breakfast. For some reason, I’m absolutely starving.”

The guys returned from their bar crawl shortly after lunch. Alice, Esme, and Rosalie all decided to stay behind and shop for the afternoon with the promise to bring supper when they returned.  
  
Emmett was finishing one of his ultra complex fifteen minute drum solos he was always trying to sneak in when Alice made her way into the sound booth. He called quitting time and rushed into the booth to ask her what she thought of his brillance.  
  
Alice shrugged. “Needs more cowbell.” Jasper chuckled and leaned down to kiss her.  
  
“Everyone upstairs, I’ve got a load of disgracefully greasy fast food here just begging to be devoured.”  
  
Alice sorted the food and gave everyone their order before checking the empty bags and swearing.  
  
“They short you some fries, Alice?” I quickly grabbed mine and pulled them safely toward me.  
  
“No, they didn’t give us any napkins, dammit.”  
  
“There’s lots in the hall closet, I saw them there when we were unloading groceries,” Bella said already pulling a giant burger towards her.  
  
Alice muttered and disappeared. I watched as Bella licked her lips and slowly unwrapped the burger. She eyed the layers of juicy beef hungrily.  
  
“Bella, what did I tell you about eye-fucking your food? Edward can’t handle it,” Jasper’s voice was an even balance of annoyance and exasperation. She looked over to see me staring at her with wide eyes and my mouth hanging open slightly.  
  
“Sorry, Jasper.” She blushed brightly, and Rose snickered.  
  
“WHATTHEHELL! MY EYES! MY PRECIOUS EYES! I’M BLIND!” Alice ran into the room, and threw herself at Jasper.  
  
Everyone stared at her, startled. Bella recovered first. “What’s wrong Alice?”  
  
“Hands… everywhere… skin… too much skin… way too much skin.”  
  
“What the hell? Alice what are you talking about?”  
  
Alice extended her arm and pointed. Five pairs of stunned eyes turned to the doorway where Carlisle and Esme stood, both making adjustments to their clothes.  
  
I blinked. Then blinked again as my mind protested connecting the dots. “Carlisle, Esme?”  
  
Alice Jumped up. “Yes, a whole _lot_ of Carlisle and Esme.”  
  
Carlisle cleared his throat and sat down at the table. “Honestly Alice, between the six of you I have enough mental scars that if I were to take Esme right here on the table we _still_ wouldn’t be even.  
  
“Mental image, Carlisle! Not cool.” I shook my head, trying to dislodge said image.  
  
Esme put her arm around Carlisle’s waist. “I don’t know, I kind of liked that mental image.”  
  
I saw Alice’s jaw drop at the same Bella shouted. “ESME!”   
  
“Ok kids, we’ll be up in the office. We have some important paperwork to go over.”  
  
Jasper snorted. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”  
  
Carlisle chucked as he took Esme’s hand and left the room.  
  
Alice shook her head again. “You know I’m delighted they’re together. They seem perfect for each other. I just never ever needed to see them _together_.”  
  
“Oh well, the food’s getting cold!” Emmett wasn’t about to let anything come between him and his meal.

Jasper turned from watching Carlise and Asme leave with a smile on his face. “So a couple days left and then we’re back on the road. Everyone ready?”

Alice dug through her fries, picking out the crispiest ones. “Yep. I mean, it’s amazing here, and everything, but Bella and I are caught up now. I think we’re ready to get back to work.”

The sentiment was the same from everyone. We had worked out a lot of new ideas, and they would be polished up over the remainder of the week, but everyone wanted to get back to ‘normal.’ It wasn’t the first time that I realized how lucky I was. This life filled with music, art, passion, and admirers was the last thing that most people would consider normal, but we got to live it every day. We were lucky enough to make it into our careers and earn a living doing what we loved.

  
And now, it seemed I had Bella to add to the list of things that I was grateful for. I sat back and enjoyed the lighthearted banter that surrounded me.

\--==\\\//==--


	21. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not a big fan of cliff hangers, well I really am, but it’s torture to wait for the next update, so I’ve decided not to do that to you.
> 
> As always, feedback, follows, reviews and favorites are always appreciated! Thank you to any of you that have done so.
> 
> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn’t borrow from her belongs to me. 
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net, and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.

**Chapter Twenty One**   
**Confrontation**

_Bella POV_

“Can you believe it’s the last show already?” I asked as I turned to Alice.  
  
“No, it’s been six months, and it seems like it hasn’t even been six weeks,” Alice replied, sipping her water.  
  
We were sitting and watching the band rehearse for the show tomorrow. Our backlog of work was complete, and we were ready to hit the ground running at showtime. Alice was smiling at Jasper, and I was watching Edward wistfully. “You know if I wake up tomorrow and find out this was all dream, I’m going to be pissed.”  
  
“You’re not that imaginative.” Alice laughed at me.  
  
“I sighed again. Do you remember sitting on the bus all wide-eyed saying ‘It doesn’t get any better’?”  
  
Alice laughed again. “Yeah, I do. How wrong we were.”  
  
We were both silent again for a while, lost in our thoughts and our ogling.  
  
“Have you guys talked about what you’re going to do when the tour is over?” I asked seriously.  
  
“Not yet. What about you two?”  
  
“No,” I frowned.  
  
“Have you thought about moving to Chicago?”  
  
“Well, that’s the only thing that really makes sense, right? I mean, they can’t move to Virginia. What about Emmett?”  
  
“Yeah, that’s what I thought too.” Alice played with her water bottle, absently.  
  
“But what about work, I mean will we go back out with them? What about when they’re not touring do we go out with other bands?”  
  
“I don’t know. It kinda feels like its all changing, doesn’t it?” she said sadly.  
  
“It does. Not that I don’t think it’s a fair trade or anything. It’s just all so uncertain right now.”  
  
“I know, but let’s not worry about all that just yet, we’ll work it out after we’re done this job.” Alice smiled as Jasper walked up and leaned down to kiss her.  
  
“What are you two so serious about over here?” Edward asked as he approached, extending a hand to pull me to my feet.  
  
“Just work stuff, nothing important.” I smiled and pecked him on the nose as he wrapped his arms around me.  
  
“We were thinking about grabbing some dinner with Esme, Rosalie, Carlisle, and Emmett. Are you two in?” Jasper asked.  
  
“Definitely, but I have to run back to the bus first, I need to drop off the camera stuff and grab my purse. You guys wait here.” I snatched up the equipment and practically skipped outside. After dropping the camera in my bunk, I hunted for my purse. I checked to make sure I had my phone and stepped off the bus again. A familiar face was smiling at me, and I froze.  
  
“Isabelle,” James sighed at me.  
  
Unlike other times I’d seen him, I wasn’t apprehensive or fearful. This time, I was angry. That feeling gave me strength and confidence.  
  
“You know James, it’s not hard to remember my name, it’s Bella, not Isabelle.”  
  
He frowned at that. “Bella is a bastardization of your name. Your name is Isabelle.”  
  
“Whatever. Look, I’m on my way to dinner, what do you want?” I said, and again I was pleased with how little effect he had on me.  
  
“What I want every time I see you, Isabelle, to take you away with me.”  
  
I laughed. In retrospect, it might have been a mistake to taunt him like that, but I was giddy with how little control he seemed to have over me now. “I suppose since you can’t even remember my name properly, I shouldn’t expect you to grasp the concept that I want nothing to do with you.”  
  
He was angry now. “You are not one to be questioning my intellect Isabelle, you never could get past simple concepts.”  
  
“Really, like what? That I _belong_ to you? That I should depend on you for everything up to and including the right to leave my home? Or perhaps that abuse is a form of love?” I grew angrier and louder as I said each of these things, and by the time I was done, my face was in his. That was when he slapped me. It was no love tap across the cheek either; this was a full-strength backhand that sent me to the ground.  
  
I heard Alice gasp and saw her coming out of the doors with Edward and Jasper, who both looked livid. I held a hand up to them. “No. Stay there, I’m fine.”  
  
Edward wasn’t looking at me, and I doubted that he heard me as he continued toward James. Jasper put a hand on Edward’s shoulder and held him back as I scrambled up off the ground and approached him.  
  
“Edward, look at me,” I said and waited for him to make eye contact. “I’m fine, and I don’t want you getting involved with this. I have it under control, and I do not want you to fight with him.”  
  
He was still furious and seemed torn at my request. He nodded quickly, and I turned back to James and crossed the distance between us. James had always been about fear and intimidation, and I was about to show that he didn’t have that kind of power over me anymore. “Well, James. We’re back to hitting me again. You wonder why I want nothing to do with you, why your words and promises mean nothing to me. You’ve lost your touch though, I’ve got witnesses this time. That’s a whole new level of class for you.”  
  
He looked stricken and immediately started mumbling apologies.  
  
“Don’t even bother,” I sighed. “You’re pathetic, James, and I don’t know how I didn’t see all this sooner. You’re a weak, manipulative, tiny little man. You’re so desperate to control everyone in your life, you don’t care that you’re crushing them to death.  
  
“I thought I could help you once. I believed you were worth it, and I would have given anything to make it happen, but Alice was right all along. You don’t want to do any work; you just want someone to feed on. I loved you, I honestly think I did, but now I know that you never loved me. No matter how much you claimed to. You don’t treat people you love like you treated me.”  
  
He grabbed my wrist as I tried to put more space between us.  
  
“Let me go,” I said through clenched teeth. I looked up at him and saw the rage in his eyes. As incomprehensible as James’ thought processes were to me, I knew that this was not going at all like he’d planned. I cried out as his hand tightened on my wrist painfully.  
  
Edward was at my side in an instant with Jasper close behind. “If you want to use that hand again, you will remove it as Bella asked,” he said coldly as glowered at James.  
  
James looked up at Edward. He seemed to have forgotten that we weren’t alone and that for once, he didn’t have the advantage. James removed his hand slowly and took a deep breath regaining his composure. Then he switched tactics.  
  
“Everything I’ve done is because I love you, my beautiful, Isabelle. I was so scared someone would take you away from me. I got carried away, and I apologize. I would never do that again. You’re just too good to be with a man like me.” James put a palpable effort into his attempt to sway me.  
  
“You’ve got that right,” I said. I saw the shock cross his face; it wasn’t the response he was expecting. Even though I could only see Alice from the corner of my eye, I saw her fist pump as James narrowed his eyes at her. “I hope you figure out your issues one day, James. I hope you find someone that makes you happy and that you can have an honest relationship with them, but that person will never be me.  
  
“Because of you and your mind games,” I said, shooting a glance over at Edward, “I was almost too scared to take a chance on something that may just be the best thing that will ever happen to me.” Even though his anger, Edward couldn’t help but smile as he put his arm around my waist.  
  
“Leave me alone, James, I have nothing left to say to you. I’m going to have my injuries documented. The next time I see you, I’m calling the police to deal with you.” I turned my back to his bewildered expression and started walking with Edward toward Jasper and Alice, who were a mixture of pride and worry.  
  
“I’m the best thing that will ever happen to you?” Edward said, smiling playfully and trying to hide his stress.  
  
“Well, I said that you might be. I know I’ve got a while to go yet, but so far, you’re getting high marks.”  
  
He chuckled as he pulled me close and kissed the top of my head. We headed back into the venue together, and for the first time in years, I was truly and completely happy. I felt light, like a weight that I didn’t even know I’d been carrying was lifted from my shoulders.  
  
Alice disappeared to find me some ice for my face. “Well, sadly, it looks like I won’t be joining you for dinner. I think I should go get this checked out. Even if he didn’t do any damage, I want it on record so I can use it if I need to get another restraining order against him. You guys should all go. You don’t need to spend the night in an emergency room.”  
  
Alice and Jasper shook their heads, and Edward huffed. I rolled my eyes. “Fine, but you are not all missing out. Jasper is going, and either Alice or Edward can come with me, I’m not towing you all around with me for an ugly black eye.”  
  
Edward kissed my face above the ice pack. “Nothing about you could ever be ugly, Bella.”  
  
“He wins!” I laughed.  
  
“No fair with the kissing, Edward,” Alice scowled and smacked him. Jasper laughed and pulled Alice toward the front of the building. “You better call me as soon as you know anything!”  
  
“I promise, Alice.” I sighed as they disappeared through the door.  
  
“Maybe I shouldn’t bother. I doubt he did any real damage.”  
  
Edward shrugged. “You can go in a taxi, or you can go in an ambulance. It makes no difference to me.”  
  
I scowled and groaned as the pain hit. “That’s what I thought.” He pulled out his phone and dialed a taxi.  
  
We stood in the doorway and waited for our ride. Even though Edward was doing his best to hide it, he still looked stressed and angry.  
  
“Hey, come here,” I said and wrapped my free hand around his waist. “Thank you.”  
  
“For what?”  
  
“For backing off when I asked you to. I know that it wasn’t easy.” I reached up tried to kiss him without the icepack getting in the way. He grimaced and muttered something I couldn’t hear.  
  
“I’m serious, Edward, it means a lot to me that what I want matters, even when you’re that upset. I really didn’t want you to get involved. I know it took a lot of control to back off after what he did, but I know him, nothing good would have come of it. It would have just got him more worked up. Plus, you have a show tomorrow. All I need is to have to explain to everyone that you can’t perform because you broke your hand while defending my honor.” I made a face at him.  
  
He sighed. “Bella, sometimes I don’t know what I’m going to do with you. If he touches you again, I’m not stopping myself. I don’t care if I have an audience with the Pope himself the next day.”  
  
“I don’t think the Pope would really like your music, Edward. Somehow he doesn’t strike me as the type.”  
  
He whacked me on the ass, and I giggled.  
  
We ended up waiting for hours in admitting before I even got in to be examined. Then I had to wait for the doctor then for x-rays. Edward ran down to the gift shop at one point and bought us a deck of cards so we could play poker. I suggested strip poker, but he didn’t think the nurses would appreciate it if I was naked. I would have scowled at him again, but it hurt too much to move my face. He was doing his best not to make me laugh.  
  
A girl was brought in to the bed beside me, and she recognized Edward. Her name was Bree, and she was adorable. They talked for a while and found out that she had been in a car accident. She was pretty beat up and out of it, but she was still very excited to see him. Bree had been planning to go to the show tomorrow but was sure that she wouldn’t be able to now. She looked heartbroken over it. At one point, she realized that Edward was in the emergency room and became concerned that he was hurt or she was bothering him. He assured her that he was fine and that he was waiting with his girlfriend to see a doctor, so she wasn’t bothering him at all. My heart swelled at his use of the word girlfriend.  
  
“I’m going to write down the name and number of someone in my management company. You give her a call the next time you want to go to one of our shows, and she’ll set you up with tickets. She’ll also make sure to let me know that you’re there so I can introduce you to the rest of the band after the show. I’ll leave it with the nurse to put in your things, okay?”

Bree was over the moon and was still thanking him as the nurse arrived to wheel the girl down to the x-ray department.  
  
“That was really nice.” I smiled and looked in wonder at this fantastic and thoughtful man I had managed to get involved with.  
  
He shrugged. “Hopefully, it will give her something to focus on while she recovers.”  
  
The nurse finally came to retrieve me for x-rays with a wheelchair. Even knowing that it was pointless, I tried to refuse the chair and tell her that I could walk. Edward sighed at me. “If I offer _you_ a backstage pass. Will you sit down and go quietly?”  
  
“Pfft. No way, I know someone in the band!” I laughed and stopped again as my cheek screamed at me. I sat down quickly and remembered the sooner this was over, the sooner I could take something for the pain.  
  
I sat on the table and took the ice pack off for the x-ray. Edward winced, and I saw his knuckles whiten on the back of the wheelchair.  
  
“That bad?” I asked feebly.  
  
“It looks pretty swollen, and the bruise is really starting to develop.”  
  
“Crap, I’m going to have to explain this to everyone now,” I sighed.  
  
He took my hand lightly. “Bella, no one is going to blame you for the fact that a sad excuse for a human being is a complete ass and hit you. You need to stop thinking things like that; this is not your fault. You were amazing tonight.”  
  
I made a face but hugged him. The nurse smiled at our exchange and gently chased him from the room so the technician could take the x-rays.  
  
An hour later, we were back in the examination area, talking to a doctor. I had a very mild fracture in my cheekbone, but there wasn’t a lot that he could do for it. Luckily my wrist was just bruised. He prescribed me some painkillers that we got filled on the way back to the hotel.  
  
Alice and I had actually foregone getting a room in New York. We danced around the subject awkwardly while we each tried to tell the other that we wanted to stay with our guys, but not abandon the other. When we’d finally managed to stammer it out, we’d laughed for a good 5 minutes.  
  
Edward led me back to the room and told me to get ready for bed while he called Alice. “They stayed at the bar for drinks; I think Jasper is trying to get her mind off it. She feels much better now that you’re okay.”  
  
“I’ll kick Jasper’s ass if she has a hangover tomorrow, we have too much work to do.”  
  
“That would be interesting to watch.”  
  
“Oh my god!” I gasped.  
  
“Bella! What’s wrong.”  
  
“My eye, it looks horrible!”  
  
He sighed and handed me some water and a pill as I came out of the bathroom. “As I said before, you’re beautiful.”  
  
“You’re biased.”  
  
“You’re tired, go to bed; I’ll be there in a minute.”  
  
He joined me a few minutes later, wearing an old pair of sweats with no shirt. “Ah, now you’re trying to distract me,” I said, running a hand over his chest as he pulled me toward him.  
  
“It is working?”  
  
“Definitely,” I sighed, then yawned. I remember forming a thought about how pain medication always knocks me out, but before I could put it into words, I was sound asleep.  
  
The show the next day was fairly typical considering all the new elements that were there because of the filming. All the extra rehearsals paid off, and the band felt confident. There was a heady mix of relaxed and excitement. I suspected that Jasper had filled everyone in on yesterday’s incident with James because no one asked where I got the hideous shiner except some local crew and fans we ran into. I usually hid my discomfort with humor, and this time was no different. If someone asked about my eye, I told them I was a part of fight club. Then I’d get a panicked look and glance around me while muttering, “Oh crap, I wasn’t supposed to talk about it.” The ones that got it thought it was funny, the rest thought I was nuts, I was okay with either reaction.  
  
The doors opened at eight, and the venue filled up quickly. Alice and I stood side stage and looked out at the growing crowd. We couldn’t help but marvel at the fact that six months ago, we were in the same venue sitting up in one of the balconies freaking out over the possibility of getting the job.  
  
The show was fantastic, and it was a good choice for a recording. The performance was flawless and energetic, but the crowd was over the top and got into every song. At one point, Emmett jumped out from behind his kit. He handed his sticks to Jasper and jumped into the crowd to surf for a bit. Jasper went behind the drums, and Edward started a solo that Jasper filled in with a beat. He wasn’t bad. The camera guys were in a flurry to follow Emmett through the crowd. Rosalie was standing behind us, and she was less than impressed with Emmett’s antics. “If he gets back to the stage alive, I swear I’m going to kill him,” she growled.  
  
He did get back to the stage more or less intact. Both of his shoes were missing, but he insisted that it was worth every minute. Midnight Sun finished their set, came back for an encore, but the crowd was still going wild, so they did another. Eventually, the show ended, and three delighted musicians went back to their dressing room to bask in the glory for a while.  
  
Alice and I were hanging out in production when Carlisle caught up with us. “You guys know we’ll be meeting in one of the larger rooms for an end of tour celebration? I’m assuming I don’t have to threaten you to go anymore?”  
  
“I don’t know, Carlisle. When it comes to Bella and a party, a little threatening never hurts.” Alice laughed, and I grumbled at them both from under the table.  
  
“You two just go; I have to fight with the router again. I promise I will be there as soon as I email these pictures to the office, so they have them in the morning.”  
  
“Alright, but if you’re not there soon you won’t have to worry about us, Esme will see you’re missing,” Alice laughed and left with Carlisle.  
  


\--==\\\//==--

 _Jasper POV  
  
_ “So, the studio is ready for you guys whenever you want it,” Carlisle said. “I know you’re all wired now and probably full of hundreds of ideas, but promise me you’ll take at least a week to recover before you get back to work?”  
  
“We’ll try. You know how it is, Carlisle. Strike while the iron is hot and all that... We’re all inspired at the moment.” I took a long drink from my water bottle and scanned the room for Alice. My distraction was not lost on our manager.  
  
“Inspired, is that they’re calling it these days?” He laughed as Edward joined us.  
  
“Emmett sends his regrets that he is feeling ill and needed to retire to his hotel. He told me not to worry, though; Rosalie was going with him to nurse him back to health.”  
  
We all laughed, and Esme wandered up, wrapping an arm around Carlisle’s waist. “Good evening, gentlemen. Excellent show, congratulations on taking New York by storm yet again.”  
  
“Thanks, Esme, you know we couldn’t do it without you in the trenches.” Edward hugged her and twirled her around as she laughed merrily.  
  
“Where are my girls? I haven’t seen them all night.”  
  
“Alice disappeared a little while ago; she said something about some photos she left on the bus that she wanted me to see. Carlisle said Bella was muttering in production last time he saw her. I don’t think the internet connection here is to her liking.” I laughed, remembering her dark mood as she crawled around under the tables, trying to fix the issue earlier in the day.

  
“Workaholics. If they’re not here in 5 minutes and enjoying themselves, I’m going to find them and make them enjoy themselves.” Esme said darkly.  
  
Only Esme could turn an after party into a threat.  
  
“Ah, it looks like you won’t have to resort to any drastic measures, Esme, there’s Bella now…“ I trailed off. Bella was standing in the doorway, but she looked panic-stricken as she scanned the room furiously. I was just about to call her when she saw us and ran over. She was only halfway across the room when she shouted at me.  
  
“Jasper! Where’s Alice? When did you see her last?”  
  
“Bella, what’s wrong Hun, you’re so pale.” Esme went into mothering mode instantly.  
  
“Jasper?” she pleaded with me.  
  
“I don’t know... About ten minutes ago? She said she was going to the bus for something. What’s wrong, Bella?”  
  
She was frozen in front of me, but something in her crumpled as I said this. “I was hoping it was some kind of sick joke,” she said, barely audible. Bella handed me her phone.  
  
On the screen was a photo of Alice, she looked to be unconscious with her hands and feet tied up. Her lip was bleeding, and her eye was definitely showing signs of swelling.  
  
“It’s James.” Bella cried into Edward’s chest as he held her close. “He’s got her. What am I going to do?”  
  


\--==\\\//==--


	22. Missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second to last chapter. It’s been a long trip, thanks for sticking with me!
> 
> As always, feedback, follows, reviews and favorites are always appreciated! Thank you to any of you that have done so.
> 
> Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn’t borrow from her belongs to me. 
> 
> This story is posted on Fanfiction (dot) net, Twilighted (dot) net, and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.

**Chapter Twenty Two**   
**Missing**

_Bella POV  
  
_ I hadn’t noticed that the room had fallen silent until it burst into a flurry of activity. Carlisle was on the phone to the police, Esme was gathering all the remaining security people to sweep the venue for any sign of James or Alice, and Jasper was on the phone to Emmett. Edward was still holding me tightly and trying to calm me.  
  
The numbness settled in slowly. The first hour had passed with no word, and I grew more panicked, but as we were reaching the third hour, I got strangely calm. I knew that many things were happening around me. I just couldn’t bring myself to do anything.  
  
We were still at the venue sitting in the dressing room. The police had finished with us for the moment, and Carlisle suggested we go back to the hotel, but I refused. I needed to be here, this is the place where Alice was last. I couldn’t fathom leaving. Edward was still holding me and stroking my hair, but he didn’t bother to tell me that everything would be fine. No one told me that, because it would have been a lie.  
  
I knew James was a monster, a horrible control freak that would do almost anything to get his way, but I never thought he would hurt anyone else, not like this. Another thing I was wrong about when it came to him. I thought about how much he must hate Alice. She had been the catalyst to get me away from him last time. She had been a pillar of support this time as he tried to reclaim me. If something happened to her… “I need to go to the bathroom,” I muttered, freeing myself from Edward’s arms.  
  
I jumped up and ran to the bathroom where I vomited and sank to the floor in silent sobs. Edward came in to find me a minute later and sat down next to me, pulling me back into his lap. “I can’t lose her, Edward. I have to do something. I can’t just sit here and do nothing, she needs me.”  
  
“There’s nothing you can do, love. The police are here, and they’re doing everything they can. They’re putting his picture out everywhere, and they’ve got roadblocks stopping vans like the one in the security footage. There’s nothing else we can do until we hear from him again. There’s nothing else to go on.”  
  
I heard someone come into the dressing room and started to get up. Edward helped me stand and supported me as I walked weakly to the other room. Carlisle looked up at me as we entered. The concern in his face almost overwhelmed me with emotion again. He looked older, tired, and so incredibly worried.  
  
“There’s some press outside. James sent them the picture too. The police think he wants the story out so he can keep up with the investigation,” he said softly.  
  
  


“Oh no, no…” I shook my head and ignored how it made the room spin. “I can’t believe I forgot to call Charlie and Renee. They can’t find out on television like that.” I was rising back into panic territory when Esme cut me off.

Edward tried to quiet me again as Esme continued, “It’s okay, I called them and told them everything. They’re already driving up and should be here by the morning.”   
  
I nodded and looked around blankly. “What do we do?”  
  
“Go back to the hotel,” Carlisle said. “I know you don’t want to leave, Bella, but there’s nothing else that can be done here. It’s not going to help Alice to stay here and make yourself sick. It’s better to go now before there’s more attention, and it’s even harder to get out.”  
  
I nodded weakly and let Edward lead me toward the building’s doors. The moment we stepped outside, the turmoil was overwhelming. My name was being shouted in a hundred different directions, flashes and television cameras were shoved at me regardless of the direction I faced. I heard Carlisle swear behind me and my suddenly stunned mind thought that was strange, Carlisle never swore.  
  
Everything continued to slow down as my brain processed things at an oddly stuttered pace, everything seemed unreal. Edward kept saying something over and over again as I was pushed into a car. The cameras continued to flash, leaving bright streaks in my vision, the shouting became muffled as I felt someone sit beside me and close the door. The car started moving just as my mind finally hit the breaking point, and I passed out.  
  
When I was aware again, I was in a dark room with no idea what time it was. I was disappointed when there was no momentary bliss of forgetfulness, no thought of it all being a dream. From the second I opened my eyes, I was painfully aware of harsh reality and everything that had happened.  
  
I turned over numbly and flicked on the TV to see what they were saying. I didn’t have any hope of good news, Edward would have woken me if there was. I flicked and found a headline news channel cycling through the top stories of the hour. I watched as the anchor droned on about stock prices and politics before I turned up the volume and watched what they were saying about Alice.  
  
An image of the outside of the venue came on screen. The frame shook as the camera tried to keep focus on a woman being led to a car by Edward. I realized with a shock that the woman was me. I looked horribly pale and drawn, and there was a vacancy in my face like I wasn’t really there.  
  
Edward kept shouting ‘no comment’ at the reporters while Carlisle tried to distract them from us as we got in the car. Eventually, I tuned in to the voiceover of the newscaster. The picture changed to the horrible photo that was sent to my phone.  
  
“Alice Brandon, 26, was reportedly kidnapped today after a sold-out concert in New York. Ms. Brandon works with Midnight Sun, who played the concert at…”  
  
“Don’t watch it, love,” Edward said as he walked to the TV and turned it off. I hadn’t even heard him come in the room. “There’s nothing new, and they’re just throwing around any rumor that sounds sensational.”  
  
He came and sat on the bed with me. “Everyone’s across the hall in, I didn’t want to wake you, so we left you here while we sat in Jasper’s room. You passed out in the cab, do you remember?”  
  
“Yeah, I do. I think it was just too much.”  
  
“Do you want to come over and sit with us?”  
  
“I will, but I think I want to take a quick shower first. Maybe that will make me feel a little more human again.”  
  
He nodded. “I had your phone with me just in case. Rosalie was going to answer it if it rang. We thought it would be better if he got a female voice…” Edward trailed off as he handed me back the phone.  
  
“I’ll let you get your shower. Like I said, I’m right across the hall if you need me.”  
  
Edward left again, and I was grateful to him for giving me some space to think and be alone for a few minutes. I let the hot water run over me as I tried to kick start my brain. It still felt like soggy oatmeal. I moved robotically through my shower routine, not remembering most of it when I realized I was already turning the water off. I toweled off and headed back to the bed to find some clothes.  
  
Edward had brought a tray with coffee and food while I was in the shower. I sipped at the coffee greedily, but couldn’t stomach the thought of food at the moment. I had just finished dressing when my phone rang, and I jumped before diving for it. The display showed a number I wasn’t familiar with, but there was no question of not answering it.  
  
“Hello?”  
  
“Isabelle,” James said warmly.  
  
“James.” My voice cracked. “Where is Alice?”  
  
“She’s here, she’s not very happy, but it’s your own fault, Isabelle, you wouldn’t listen to me. This was the only alternative you left me.”  
  
My hands were shaking so hard now, I could barely hold the phone. I turned in on speaker and put it down before I dropped it. All I needed now was to break the only connection to Alice I had left.  
  
“Let me talk to her, I need to know she’s okay.”  
  
“Ah, Ah, Isabelle. I see you’ve picked up some bad habits.” His voice grew colder. “You do not get to demand anything, you may ask politely. I will give you what you need. If I don’t give it to you, then you don’t need it.”  
  
I winced as I tried to remember all of James’ rules. He wanted to control, and if it meant Alice’s safety, I would play along. He took my silence as assent.  
  
“Very good, now, we need to have our reunion so that I can get you away from all of those terrible people you’re with. I don’t blame you, Isabelle. You just got in with the wrong crowd, you never did know what was good for you. I think I blame Alice the most, or maybe Edward. He has no right to you, you are mine. Of course, Alice is right here beside me, and Edward is not.”  
  
I heard a muffled thud and a stifled sob in the background. Tears filled my eyes, and I bit my lip so hard I drew blood, but I managed to keep silent. My head fell forward in defeat.  
  
“You want to come away with me right, my Isabelle? We’ll go back to our marriage, and we’ll be happy again. We’ll move away. Somewhere where no one can tear us apart. It will be even better than last time. Everything will be perfect.”  
  
He was utterly delusional. I couldn’t understand how he could still think like this after all that had happened and everything I had said. How was it that James just kept being more dangerous and out of control than I’d thought? If he was this unstable, there was no telling what he’d do to Alice or when he would crack. The longer she was with him, the more danger she was in. Once again, I could see no alternative than to play his game.   
  
“Of... of course I want to go with you, James. I love you. I’ve been thinking a lot about you since the last time I saw you.” I stuttered in a voice as clear as I could manage. I forced myself to swallow back the bile that saying these words created. “You’ll let Alice go, right? I’m sure no one will care if you and I run away together. I’ll leave them a note and explain everything, but Alice has to be safe, or things will be difficult for us. Plus, it will be better if it’s just us, don’t you think?”  
  
“Very good, Isabelle. You’re lying, of course, but we’ll keep working at it. I’ll have no need for Alice once I have you, my dearest Isabelle. Of course, you have to come now. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you to be absolutely alone. If you don’t, I will hurt Alice, and you will be responsible for that as well. I may even feel the need to play with her a little first if my lovely wife forsakes me.”  
  
“No! No, James, I am yours. I will come alone, of course, I will. Where should I go?”  
  
He gave me the address of a store with a payphone, making sure to inform me that he would be watching it and would know if I was alone. It wasn’t lost on me that he’d never actually said Alice would go free. Even if he had, I never would have taken him at his word.  
  
“This number is the only way to reach me. If I need to ditch the phone, you lose Alice. I suggest you don’t tell anyone about it. Remember, Isabelle, you are entirely responsible for her fate now. I can’t wait to be with you again. You will love me again. Call me within 30 minutes, or I’ll know you’ve decided not to come. Choose carefully, and remember, if you bring Edward, I will kill him. I will protect what's mine, and no one is going to steal from me.”  
  
I shuddered as he hung up and blindly grabbed my laptop to put in the address for directions. This was all so James, threats tied with threads of affection, me being responsible for everything he did, the mind games. The trick was that it was impossible to win against James. The rules changed to suit him on a whim. A sob escaped at that thought.  
  
“Bella,” Edward said softly as he put a hand on my shoulder.  
  
I gasped and whirled around. “Edward! How long have you been here?”  
  
“Long enough.” He looked darkly at the phone.  
  
“I know you don’t want me to go. _I_ don’t want to go, but I have to. I have to figure something out. Between the police and the press coverage, it’ll never stay quiet long, and there’s no time for that anyway. I can’t take a chance with her life, Edward.”  
  
“But you want me to take a chance with yours? Would Alice want that?”  
  
“Of course not, but… she’d do it for me too. Besides, what other option do I have? I don’t think he plans to let her go, but maybe I can talk to him, maybe I can change his mind or something.” I was desperate now, “I don’t have any choice, he’s taken them all away. He knows there’s nothing I won’t do for her.”  
  
“Bella, I’m not suggesting you don’t go, but I don’t think you should rush off with no plan and no help. Let’s go across the hall and talk this over with Jasper and Emmett. No one will call the police about this unless it’s what you decide to do, ok?”  
  
“Okay, but we need to be quick; he’s expecting my call within a half an hour.” Frantic ideas came into my head and were quickly disregarded. Now that there was a course of action, my head starting whirling with ideas. There were any number of ways to approach something like this, but with no time to prepare, most of them were impossible. I was known to be ready for everything, but even I didn’t keep a stash of weapons and spy equipment.  
  
He wrapped his arms around me in a comforting hug. I allowed myself this one small indulgence before I began to prepare for what was ahead of me.  
  
“I’m going to pack a bag. I’ll just be a second.” I whirled around the room, tossing various items into a backpack. Edward seemed confused but didn’t question me. When I was finished, he took the bag from me and led me across the hall.  
  
“You’re shaking,” I whispered as I gathered his hand in mine.  
  
“I’m angry.”  
  
It was the understatement of the century. “I know, and so am I but I need to keep it together, I need you to keep it together. I’m going to need you to help me get through this.”  
  
The room was much the same as the one we just left. Emmett was on the couch with his arm around Rosalie, and both of them watched the television blankly. Jasper was sitting in a chair, staring into space and looking every bit as lost, and I felt.  
  
“Bella,” Jasper said, getting up as soon as he saw me and wrapping me in a tight hug. I hugged him back and tried to stifle the automatic flames of panic that his emotion fanned.  
  
I looked around the room and took a deep breath. “I’ve had news.”  
  
I stood near the door with Edward at my side as I relayed the conversation with James. “He gave me an address and a number. I have to be there in twenty-five minutes. We have no time to argue and figure this out. With all the press around, I don’t trust it not to get out. If he thinks I’m not doing what he wants, he’ll...”  
  
I took another deep breath and once again pushed the emotions down farther. Breaking down would not help Alice.  
  
I cleared my throat and continued. “I don’t have an elaborate plan; honestly, it’s mostly just winging it and hoping luck stays on our side. Edward wants to go with me, and I assume that you won’t stay behind, Jasper. But Emmett…”  
  
“If you think I’m going to let the three of you go without me, Bella, you’re nuts. I care about Alice too. Plus, these two would be completely lost without me.” Emmett looked at Edward and Jasper with mock disgust.  
  
“Emmett, I don’t know what’s going to happen. If you get hurt…”  
  
“You let me worry about not getting hurt. We need to get going. Rose, can you get a distraction going for us? Carlisle will be pissed, but he’ll play along.”  
  
Rosalie looked torn for the slightest moment before she whipped out her cell and started dialing. “Carlisle, meet me in the lobby, we’re going to be having an impromptu press conference in 7 minutes.” She listened for a few moments. “No, I know. I’ll explain everything to you down there.” She hung up and started typing a message on her phone.  
  
“Ok, I’ve announced that Carlisle will be making a statement in the lobby in five minutes. That should get the reporters to congregate there. I suggest you guys head out the back. Take my car. Please, be safe.”

I went over to her and hugged her fiercely, touched by the lack of argument and her quick thinking. “Thanks, Rose.”

She handed Emmett the keys and gave him a quick hug before disappearing.  
  
“We need to go, do what you can to make sure you’re not recognized. We’re running out of time. I’ll tell you what plans I do have as we drive.” I picked up my phone again, remembering the call recorder Alice had insisted I install to keep track of meetings and notes on the fly. I forwarded the recording of James’ call to Charlie. By the time he got it, it would be too late to stop me, but if things went wrong, he might be able to find us. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. That was going to become a theme for today, no doubt.  
  
Ten minutes later, we had made a discreet get away from the hotel. Edward drove while I went through my ideas.  
  
“Jasper, give me your phone.” He handed it over silently.  
  
“I’m setting you up to track my phone. I have two. James will make me get rid of the first, but the second is a tiny one that Alice got for me as a joke.” A sad smile crossed my face as I remembered it. I held up the phone, which was about the size of my thumb before switching it over to silent. I ripped a small hole in the cuff of my shit and tucked the phone inside. “I told Charlie about it and the phone call. By the time he gets my message, hopefully, everything will be over...or we’ll be in trouble. Either way, we’ll need his help.”  
  
“I’m going to need to get out just down here and walk the rest of the way in case he wasn’t lying about watching. James knows I don’t have a car. I guess that’s why the phone is within walking distance. If I get into a cab or something, you can follow me this way if you lose track of me. I’ll call you and try to keep the line open so you can hear what’s going on, but don’t depend on it. I imagine the audio isn’t going to be clear, I can’t exactly keep the phone out. Everything happened so quickly, I’m hoping James had as little time to plan as we did. We’re just going to have to work with whatever happens.”  
  
Jasper took his phone back. “I don’t like this, but I can’t think of anything better with the time we have either. Bella, you have to promise me something. Get to Alice and try to stay away from James. We’ll take him down as soon as we can, but even if everything goes our way, it’s going to be chaotic.”

I started to protest, but he held a hand up. “If we’re going to storm in there, it will be safer for everyone if James can’t use you or Alice against us. We’ll all be more focused if we know you’re as safe as possible. Promise me, Bella.”

I nodded and pushed at the door. “I’ll do everything I can.”

The payphone was two blocks down, in front of an all-night convenience store. With less than five minutes left on James’ deadline, I punched the in number. It took three times before I finally dialed correctly and held my breath as it rang

“You actually came alone, I’m impressed. Maybe there’s hope for you yet, Isabelle.”

Placating him was my best bet here. If he thought he was winning, he might get sloppy.“Thank you, James. Where do you want me to go now?”  
  
“Very good, you’re already remembering. Those clothes have to go through, you look awful. Yellow is not your color.”  
  
I looked down at the light summer top and jeans and pulled my jacket closed. He was making sure I knew he could really see me, fantastic.  
  
A tinny cruel laugh came through the phone. He was pleased by my discomfort. “Now, take out your phone and leave it there.”  
  
He directed me to take a cab to a motel outside of town. I followed his instructions, repeating them back to make sure I was correct but also so the guys would hear my next moves.  
  
“No phone calls once we hang up. Do not test me.”  
  
“Of course not. I’ll be there soon.”  
  
Once I flagged the cab down, I settled in the back seat and tried to prepare for the final leg of the journey. Rose’s car with my backup was nowhere to be seen. Either Edward was an excellent driver, or they’d lost me. The panic fought for control again, and I pushed it back.  
  
I had basic self-defense training, but nothing like Alice. I doubted I’d be able to catch him off guard anyway, and he would overpower me in an instant. My brain whirled with different scenarios and outcomes, most of them weren’t good. I was so lost in my thoughts that the cabby's voice startled me when we finally arrived at my destination. My hands trembled as I handed him the fare.  
  
“Are you ok, miss?”  
  
“Yes, thank you. Keep the change.”  
  
The young man nodded in thanks and pulled away the moment I stepped out of the vehicle. I looked around at the motel. There were a few cars scattered around the neglected parking lot, the neon sign had stopped working, and the whole building was in desperate need of a paint job and repairs, or maybe a flame thrower.  
  
I finally saw James, backlit in one of the large windows of a ground floor room. He opened the door and searched the lot for anything out of place before calling me to him. His smile was predatory and sent a shiver of dread down my spine.  
  
Just before I crossed the threshold, a small movement in the corner of my eye almost made me collapse in relief. Rose’s car came to a quiet stop down the block. I wasn’t alone, I had help, we would all be ok. I repeated this mantra as I stepped into the room and back to a time when James controlled almost every aspect of my life.  
  
I waited for him to speak to me; speaking first would make him very angry. I kept my eyes to the floor and showed no sign of defiance. He wanted control, and I was planning to give him whatever he needed to lull him into a sense of superiority. I’m not sure how long I stood there before he was satisfied and pulled me toward him.  
  
“I’m glad you finally saw sense. It’s just too bad that this was the only way you’d keep your vows to me.”  
  
He forced his lips to mine, it wasn’t a kiss. There was no emotion or affection in the action; he was claiming me like property and nothing else. I did my best to control my body, to not respond or pull away. Once again, I saw movement at the window, and Jasper's head slowly came into view, clutching his phone to his ear. He must still be listening. I said a silent prayer of thanks that it was working.  
  
Once he finally pulled away, I risked a question.  
  
“May I please see Alice? I need to know if she’s ok.”  
  
He nodded. “We’re leaving, she’ll be coming with us.”  
  
“That wasn’t the deal, James. You said you’d let her go.” He moved like lightning I doubled over in pain before I even realized he’d hit me. “I’m ok. Don’t come in, I haven’t seen her yet. I whispered softly into the phone in my sleeve.  
  
“What did I tell you about mouthing off. He pushed me to the floor and pulled out a gun from beneath his jacket. “I’ll let her go once you’ve convinced me that you’re going to behave properly. I think you might need some motivation.” He kicked out at me, landing a solid blow to my stomach.  
  
“I’m sorry. Where is she? Can I please help her?”  
  
“She’s in the bathroom. Leave the bag here, and make it quick.”   
  
“Bella!” Alice moaned in relief as she saw me come through the door.  
  
“Alice! Oh god, what did he do to you?” I wanted to hug her, but I was afraid to hurt her. She lay on the floor with her hands tied behind her back. Her face was blossoming with bruises, and dried blood caked one side of her face and hair. She looked awful but alert and awake.  
  
“Shut up and let's go.” Came the harsh demand from the other room.  
  
“I need to clean her up. She’s covered in blood, it’s going to draw attention.”  
  
“Fine, hurry up.” James picked up my bag from the floor and dumped it on the bed. He sifted through the contents but never took his eyes off of us for more than a moment.  
  
“When I say, be ready to move, ok?” Even the small motion of agreeing with me sent a shock of pain across her face.

I went through the motions of helping Alice, grabbing one of the towels from the rack, and wetting it in the sink. Thankfully it wasn’t hard to flip the lock on the bathroom door handle without James noticing. It wouldn’t hold for more than a second, but that was all we’d need for Jasper and the others to get into the room.  
  
I helped Alice move from the floor to sit on the toilet. I caught her eye. “Into the shower, are you ready?”  
  
She nodded, and I bent gave my sister a hug in such a way that my wrist with the hidden phone was close enough, “We’re in the bathroom, Go on three.” Alice was alert, trying to decipher the plan from my movements. “One… two…“ I hooked the door with my foot and slammed it closed. James swore and started beating on it. We moved quickly to the shower and huddled down. The sound of James crashing into the door was followed by a sharp crack as his foot came through the thin veneer. Splinters went flying as he hit it again, and it flew open. Alice screamed, followed by sounds of fighting and shouting from the front room. Three gunshots sounded, I went cold, and my heart raced as I held on to Alice, praying to anything that was listening that no one got hurt trying to save us.  
  
Through the panic and tears, I tried to loosen the knots that bound Alice’s hands together, but my hands wouldn’t’ stop shaking. The pain was starting to overtake me now that the adrenalin was burning out. James had done some damage, but we needed to take care of Alice first.  
  
A hand reached through the wide hole in the bathroom door, unlocked, and opened it deftly. Relief overwhelmed me as Jasper came into sight. There was a small cut on his cheek, but otherwise, he looked whole. I questioned him silently.   
  
“Everyone is fine. Emmett and Edward have him; he tried to fight, but he gave up fairly quickly.” Jasper frowned, and his expression hardened as he took Alice’s condition in.  
  
“I’m going to fucking kill him.”  
  
“I’m okay really. I’m sure I look much worse than I am.” Alice’s voice was shaky, overwhelmed with tears of relief.  
  
I finished with the last knot as Jasper went to Alice.   
  
I borrowed Jasper’s phone and called Charlie. Everything would move quicker if he explained it to the detectives rather than me calling and explaining the situation to the emergency operators. I filled him in on what had happened and our location, assuring him that Alice was okay, but would need an ambulance. He was angry at what he termed my recklessness but relieved that everyone was safe.  
  
I returned to Alice’s side. Jasper looked as torn as I was. He obviously wanted to scoop her up and hold her but was just as worried about her injuries. Alice tried to stand up, but he pressed her shoulder gently.  
  
“No, don’t move sugar. Stay still until the ambulance gets here.  
  
“I’m sure everyone will be here very soon. As it turns out, Charlie can handle New York cops just the same as Virginia ones.” I smiled down at Alice and squeezed her hand.  
  
She chuckled then winced.  
  
“Bella, you look like hell, and so do you, Jasper. I swear I leave you alone for a while, and everything just falls apart.”  
  
“We had a lot on our minds,” I said to her, trying to fight back the emotion welling up.  
  
She nodded, realizing that the humor she was trying to inject into the situation would not make us worry any less. She looked over at Jasper. “Did you hurt him?”  
  
“Yes.” He replied through clenched teeth.  
  
“Much?”   
  
“He won't be going for any long walks ever again, but he still got off easy. He’s lucky I didn’t see you first.” He said curtly, looking Alice over again.  
  
“Jasper,” she said very seriously now as she worked to focus on him. “You have to promise me you won’t do anything else. I know you’re upset...” She said, trailing off and looking at his eyes.  
  
“I know you’re beyond angry,” she said firmly as she began again, “but anything else you do will just cause more trouble. Plus, he may be scum, but you’re a good man, even his death would weigh on you, and I don’t want that.”  
  
Jasper held her eyes for a long moment before nodding. It looked like it took all of his willpower to make that small movement of agreement.  
  
“I’m going to go let Edward and Emmett know what’s going on, okay?” I cut in with an attempt to break the sudden tension that had filled the room.  
  
She nodded, and Jasper comforted her with quiet reassurances as I went back out to the front room. Emmett was standing over James, who was curled up in the corner holding his leg and whimpering. I couldn’t see his face, but there was enough blood on his clothes to show that he had definitely got the worst of the fight. Both of the men watching him were grimly intent on their quarry. I never quite appreciated how large and intimidating Emmett was before. Usually, his laugh and constant mischievous smile made him look more like a teddy bear than a threat, but there was no playfulness in his face now.  
  
Edward saw me exit the bathroom and nodded to Emmett before crossing the room. Emmett leaned down and smiled coldly at James. “I really want to hurt you. Please give me a reason to. I’d like to see how you do when you’re not picking on women half your size.” James went even paler and quieted.  
  
Edward wrapped his arms around me and held me quietly. I looked down James, the cause of so much pain and suffering, not only mine but my friends and family as well. Strangely as he got more out of control, it helped me to realize that this wasn’t my fault. I was sick the entire time Alice was missing, but now I finally realized that this was not a path I had chosen, nothing I did caused or would have prevented this. All of this insanity was on James. I would never give him the power to hold me back again.  
  
We all heard the distant sirens at the same time and were shaken from our collective reverie. Within moments the room became a whirl of activity. EMTs went to Alice, police began asking questions, and more people arrived every minute. It was a chaotic nightmare, and I honestly didn’t know how much more I could handle at this point.

I watched as the gurney was rolled past me toward Alice when I heard the angry voice of my father.  
  
“Don’t give me that. Where are my daughters? Take me to them right now.”  
  
I leaned out the door and waved. “It’s ok, Dad, we’re in here. She ok, Alice is going to be fine.” The tears fought to come out. I had to keep the emotion closed off. There was still a lot of explaining to do, and once the emotional dam broke, it wasn’t going to pretty.  
  
Charlie and Renee rushed in as Alice was being wheeled out. Renee threw her hands around me, causing me to wince and hiss as she held on for dear life. “Are you hurt? What happened? Where is he? I’m going to kill him.”  
  
James shrunk back at her fury, trying to hide farther in his corner. “I’m ok Mom, Alice is hurt more than I am. I think you should go with her and Jasper, she’s going to need you. Dad and I will catch up with you at the hospital later. I’m really fine.”

She looked wholly torn, wanting to be with us both. Finally, she went to Alice and grasped her hand tightly. The EMTs wheeled Alice out and started getting ready to leave.  
  
Jasper stopped at the spot where James was huddled on the ground. Charlie was standing over him now, with barely contained rage. No one seemed to be in much of a hurry to get James any medical attention. The New York cops were watching from a reasonably close distance, but they seemed comfortable with letting James sweat as Charlie glared at him.  
  
My Father nodded once to Jasper as he crouched down beside James. I heard Jasper start to talk softly. His voice was calm, but his face was hard and terrifying. There was no doubt that he meant every word he was saying.  
  
“The only reason you weren’t dead before anyone got here is that Alice asked me not to kill you. You owe her your life.  
  
“If you ever get out of jail and make no mistake, I will do my damnedest to keep you in there as long as possible, but if you do get out, it would be in the interest of your health to never be found near either of these women. If you bother them ever again, even if you end up in the same area as them accidentally, you are done. If I ever see you outside of a courtroom again, nothing and no one will stop me.”  
  
James looked up to Charlie, who nodded once. Not only would he not stop Jasper, he would join him.  
  
Jasper stood and walked over to the ambulance and hopped in. Charlie walked over to the nearby police officers, and Edward pulled me to his side as we followed Jasper. It wasn’t long before Alice’s ambulance left with Jasper inside. We decided that it was best if he accompanied her while I stayed with Edward to explain to everyone what had happened. Edward wasn’t happy, he wanted me to get checked at the hospital as well. I was hurting from the few blows James landed, but I was determined to get this over with.  
  
Charlie was a big help. He knew who needed to hear what and made sure everyone was there at the same time, so I didn’t have to tell the story repeatedly tonight. In fact, it wasn’t nearly as long and drawn out as I thought it would be. Within 45 minutes, we were finishing up, and Charlie was going to get his car.  
  
The second ambulance was there and finally attending to James. Edward tightened his arms around me and tried to pull me away as they pushed James in our direction toward the ambulance. I held my ground and started to pull away from Edward.  
  
“Bella, you’ve been through enough already.” He said with a hug around my shoulders.  
  
“Edward, I need to do this,” I told him as I shot him a reassuring glance. I disentangled myself from his arms and walked slowly over to James.  
  
I wanted to say something venomous to him, something that would forever sever whatever connection he thought we had, and something that would hurt him. No matter what I said, though, he would twist the meaning to whatever he wanted, he always had. There were no magic words to get through to him, so I settled on the simple truth. It would free me even if it didn’t get the point across to him.  
  
“You’re dead to me now. I will cooperate in any way necessary to keep you behind bars, but that’s it. I don’t care what happens to you. I will not waste any energy on you ever again.” I said with no emotion. I turned my back on him and walked to Edward, who was now standing with Charlie and Renee.

-==\\\//==--


End file.
